Gini's Hawaiian Dump Cake

Four ingredients. No mixing bowl. No mixer. Just layer everything in a pan and let the oven do the work.

Crushed pineapple with its juice goes on the bottom, then shredded coconut, then dry cake mix straight from the box, then small pieces of butter scattered across the entire top. The recipe is emphatic about one thing: DON’T MIX. The layers need to stay separate so the pineapple juice steams up through the cake mix while the butter melts down through it, creating a cobbler-like texture with a crispy, golden top and a gooey fruit-and-coconut bottom.

The magic is in the butter distribution. Cut it into small pieces and cover the surface as evenly as possible. Bare spots stay dry and powdery. Well-buttered spots turn golden and crisp.

Kitchen Tips

• Use a full-size can of crushed pineapple (20 oz) with ALL the juice. The juice is the only liquid in this recipe, and it hydrates the cake mix from below.
• Spread the cake mix evenly with a spatula so there are no thick or thin patches. Even coverage means even baking.
• Let it cool before cutting. The pineapple layer is molten when it comes out and needs time to set.

Variations

• Add a can of cherry pie filling under the pineapple layer for a cherry-pineapple version.
• Use a chocolate cake mix instead of yellow for a chocolate-coconut-pineapple combination.
• Sprinkle chopped pecans or macadamia nuts over the top before baking for crunch.