This Rhubarb Dump Cake recipe is an easy recipe that takes about 10 minutes of hands-on time plus baking! You literally “dump” all the ingredients in a baking dish and bake. It works great with frozen or fresh rhubarb straight from the rhubarb patch!
The cake mix topping makes it a bit like a fruit crisp or cobbler. Rhubarb dump cake is to die for topped with fresh whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
If you’ve never made a dump cake with rhubarb before you’ve been missing out! This Rhubarb Dump Cake is made with cake mix, strawberry Jell-O, and pie filling!
I love the fruit cobbler on the bottom and the crisp pieces of buttery cake mix on top! It’s probably my favorite of all my rhubarb recipes! Add vanilla ice cream or whipped cream and it’s heaven! Any rhubarb lover will go crazy for it!
If you have tons of rhubarb in your rhubarb patch and are you’re looking for a few more rhubarb desserts be sure to check out these great recipes; Rhubarb Muffins, Rhubarb Strawberry Jell-O, Rhubarb Cake, and Rhubarb Chocolate Chip Cookies.
These recipes are a great way to use extra rhubarb!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
There is so much to love about this easy fruit dessert! It’s such an easy rhubarb dump cake recipe!
- Quick and easy! This recipe will literally take you about 10 minutes of hands-on time! There’s no stirring, no mixing bowl, no dirty dishes! Sounds amazing, right?
- Use fresh or frozen rhubarb! Either will work perfectly which means you can enjoy this recipe all year long!
- It tastes amazing! There is something magical about a warm fruit cobbler paired with a crunchy topping!
Dump Cake Ingredients:
Most of these ingredients are simple and ones that are good to have in the pantry. Rhubarb is the only one that’s a little different. As always I’m going to give you substation suggestions just in case you don’t have everything and don’t want to run to the grocery store.
A rhubarb strawberry jello dump cake starts with a cake mix and strawberry Jell-O, which makes it quick and easy!
- Rhubarb: Fresh or frozen will both work great. If you’re using frozen rhubarb be sure to let it thaw first.
- Boxed Cake Mix: A yellow cake mix is a popular option, but I really love using a white cake mix too. And if you want to get really creative you can use a chocolate cake mix! Any brand will work, Duncan Hines, Pillsbury, Betty Crocker, or a store brand.
- Jell-o: Any red Jell-o will work. Strawberry flavor and raspberry are my favorites. Cherry is also fantastic.
- Fruit Pie Filling: Blueberry is my go-to. Cherry, raspberry, or mixed berries are great options too. If you really don’t want to use pie filling, you can leave it out, but I think it’s much better with it!
- Lemon Lime Soda: I really like using soda pop in my Dutch oven cobblers and dump cakes. Lemon-lime is the best variety, or you can use ginger ale. If you don’t have pop on hand, you can always use a cup of water or pineapple juice.
You’ll need the red or pink stalk of the rhubarb plants. Trim the root end and leaf off the rhubarb. Thin rhubarb is more tender than thicker stalks. Darker red rhubarb is typically a little sweeter and green rhubarb is a tart rhubarb.
How to Make Rhubarb Dump Cake:
Dump cake recipes are so easy to make! They are called dump cakes for a good reason. You literally “dump” everything in the pan and bake it. There is no need to stir the layers together. Magic happens while a rhubarb dump cake bakes!
How do you prepare rhubarb? The stalk is the part of the rhubarb you’ll eat. The leaves are poisonous (at a very low level) so you’ll want to discard them. Trim about two inches below the leaves and about an inch of the root end of the stalk. Wash the rhubarb using a vegetable scrubber.
How to dice rhubarb? Once the stalks are clean pull any strings off the stalks. Use a knife to dice the stalks into about 1/2 inch pieces for making pies, dump cakes, and most other desserts. If you are cooking or stewing the rhubarb it can be left in bigger chunks.
Prep: Spray the bottom of the baking dish with cooking spray. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Step 1: Layer diced rhubarb in the bottom of a greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Evenly pour pie filling over the sliced rhubarb. Sprinkle dry Jell-o powder over the fruit pie filling. No stirring!
Step 2: Pour lemon-lime soda over the fruit. Don’t stir.
Step 3: Evenly sprinkle a box of cake mix over the top of the fruit and Jell-O layers.
Step 4: Drizzle melted butter over the cake mix. You want to make sure it’s as evenly drizzled as possible because the butter is going to give it nice crisp pieces. They’re my favorite!
Step 5: Bake the rhubarb dump cake. The cake mix will get a little bit crisp on top and the cobbler on the bottom will poke through that cake mix layer on the top! You can let the dessert cool a little bit and then serve it, or refrigerate it and let it completely cool before serving it. Either way, it’s best with a big spoonful of cool whip or vanilla ice cream!
Variations
To make strawberry rhubarb dump cake be sure to use strawberry jello. You can also substitute 1 cup of rhubarb for 1 cup of sliced fresh or frozen strawberries.
FAQs:
Yes! Rhubarb freezes beautifully! Clean rhubarb and dice. Spread it on a baking sheet and freeze until firm. Remove from the baking sheet and freeze it for up to a year in an airtight container. Fresh or frozen rhubarb will work for this recipe. Allow the rhubarb to thaw before making the
Since it has fruit filling in it you’ll need to keep it in the fridge. It will keep up to four days.
Yes. Freeze leftovers for up to three months. Thaw dump the cake and reheat it in the microwave when you’re ready to serve it. Honestly, making a dump cake is so easy that I recommend making it and serving it fresh.
Other Easy Fruit Desserts
I’m mostly a chocolate dessert kind of girl. But, when the fruit is in the season I can’t help but use them to make fruit desserts! And, since they have fruit it’s totally game to serve them for breakfast!
Here are a few of our favorite super easy fruit dessert recipes!
- Baked Peaches
- Peach Pie Filling
- Peach Cobbler
- Raspberry Sauce
- Puff Pastry Apple Tart
- Cherry Pie Bubble Up
Rhubarb Dump Cake Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 cups rhubarb diced
- 21 ounce pie filling blueberry, cherry, or mixed berry
- 3 ounce strawberry Jell-O just the dry mix
- 1 cup lemon-lime soda
- 18.25 ounce white cake mix or yellow
- 1/2 cup butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Trim the leaves and root end from the rhubarb stalk. Wash the rhubarb and pull any strings off of the stalk. Dice into 1/2 inch pieces.
- Spread diced rhubarb in the bottom of baking dish.
- Spread blueberry pie filling over rhubarb.
- Sprinkle dry Jell-o over pie filling.
- Pour soda pop over Jello.
- Sprinkle dry cake mix over fruit layer.
- Melt butter and drizzle over the cake mix layer.
- Bake 40-45 minutes. It’s done when the cake mix layer is golden brown.
- Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or freshly whipped cream!
Notes
- Jello – You can also use cherry, blueberry, or raspberry jello.
- Cake Mix – I like white, but a yellow cake mix is a great option, too.
- Rhubarb – Fresh or frozen
- Freshly whipped cream OR
- Vanilla ice cream
Cindy says
Sounds like it would be very sweet.
Amy Engberson says
It’s perfect with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
Sharon Kuhn says
I’m anxious to try this but fear the sugar content in canned blueberry pie filling. How would you substitute fresh blueberries, which we have a-plenty of here in Michigan?
Sharon
Amy Engberson says
I’m so jealous you have plenty of fresh blueberries! How fun is that? You could search pinterest for a low sugar blueberry pie filling recipe and substitute that for the can of pie filling. I’ve noticed more and more varieties of pie fillings are popping up in the store. It looks like some of them are a little more like homemade pie filling too.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
My garden is bursting with rhubarb right now and this sounds like a delicious way to put it to use!
Amy Engberson says
I can’t wait for you to try it! It’s seriously one of my favorite ways to eat rhubarb!
Erin @ The Speckled Palate says
This looks absolutely incredible! And I wish I could get my hands on rhubarb here in Texas because I’m wanting to try this desperately!
Amy Engberson says
Is rhubarb one of those plants that won’t grow in Texas? It grows like a weed here so I didn’t realize it was hard to get ahold of in some areas. Hope you find some because it’s pretty awesome in this dump cake!
Cathy Trochelman says
Mmmm summer perfection….especially with that ice cream on top!
Amy Engberson says
I’m always trying to make sure everyone gets their servings of dairy! It’s important you know!
Dee says
I love dump cakes, but I’ve never made a rhubarb one. This looks amazing!
Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious says
I just love dump cakes! They are so easy and so good!
Amy Engberson says
Me too! They are so easy and are always so comforting!
Paula - bell'alimento says
All the rhubarb please! Looks delicious.
Amy Engberson says
You must impatiently wait for rhubarb season like I do! Rhubarb is so yummy and doesn’t last long enough!