When the dinner dishes are finally stacked and the fire has settled into a steady bed of coals, Foil Packet Pineapple Upside-Down Cakes are the kind of dessert that feels like a small luxury without any extra fuss. You get that classic campfire moment—sweet smoke in the air, headlamps bobbing around the picnic table—while the foil does the hard work and the cleanup stays blissfully simple.
Cooking these little cakes directly in the coals turns brown sugar into a glossy caramel that soaks into the pineapple rings, giving you crisp, candy-like edges and a buttery middle. The fruit stays bright and juicy, and when you peel back the packet you get a rush of warm vanilla-caramel aroma that instantly reads “old-school summer.” If you’ve got maraschino cherries along for the ride, tuck one into the center for the full diner-counter vibe.
A quick tip from many campsite batches: keep the foil packets slightly elevated on a thin layer of ash or a small grate if your coals are running hot, and rotate them once so the sugar doesn’t scorch. Served warm straight from the foil with a spoon, these campfire pineapple upside-down cakes travel well from cooler to coal bed to camp chair with zero plates required.
Foil Packet Pineapple Upside-Down Cakes
Equipment
- Heavy-duty aluminum foil
- Mixing bowl
- Spoon
Ingredients
- 4 pineapple rings canned or fresh
- 4 maraschino cherries
- 4 tbsp brown sugar
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 cup yellow cake mix
- 1/3 cup water
Instructions
- Lay out 4 sheets of foil, each about 10x10 inches.
- Place 1 tbsp brown sugar and 1 tbsp butter in the center of each sheet. Top with a pineapple ring and place a cherry in the center.
- In a bowl, combine cake mix and water to make a thick batter.
- Spoon 2-3 tbsp batter over each pineapple ring, spreading gently to mostly cover.
- Fold foil into packets, sealing tightly.
- Place packets on hot campfire coals and cook for 12-15 minutes, rotating halfway through, until cakes are set and aromatic.
- Remove from the fire, let cool slightly, then carefully open and invert cakes onto plates so pineapple is on top.