Crock Pot Pineapple Upside Down Cake is made with a boxed yellow cake mix, pineapple chunks, brown sugar, and butter. This semi-homemade pineapple upside-down cake tastes like homemade, with no oven needed.
Line a 6-quart slow cooker with parchment paper, leaving an overhang for easy removal. Melt ½ cup butter, mix ¼ cup with brown sugar, and pour into the bottom of the cooker. Save the remaining ¼ cup for the batter.
Evenly layer pineapple chunks over the brown sugar mixture. Randomly drop cherries on top. In a large bowl, mix dry cake mix, pineapple juice, reserved butter, and eggs. Stir, then pour the batter into the slow cooker.
Cover the cooker with a double layer of paper towels and place the lid on top, pulling towel edges taut so they don’t touch the batter. Cook on high for 2 to 2½ hours, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Turn off heat, discard towels, and let the crock cool slightly. Lift the cake using parchment onto a platter, keeping it flat. Place a second platter on top, flip quickly, and peel off parchment to reveal topping.