Magic Rhubarb Dump Cake
There is nothing easier than a dump cake! The clue is right in the name: dump it and bake it, no mixing needed. And this one is made using fresh or frozen rhubarb for a rhubarb dump cake that is FULL of flavor!
Layers of rhubarb, strawberry jello, yellow cake mix, melted butter, and water bake together with no mixing to make this rhubarb dump cake a truly simple cake. Sweet and crispy on top, tangy rhubarb underneath!
Making a cake like this is one of the perfect storm sorts of ideas, you have extra rhubarb, you find a cake mix in the cupboard, and a box of jello and suddenly you’re making a cake.
Why are there dry spots on this cake?
One of the hallmarks of this cake is that you don’t mix it. You simply layer it. Therefore, you will have some spots of drier cake mix. They may LOOK completely dry, but then underneath they’re touching the juicy part of the cake.
Can I eat raw cake mix? Don’t they tell you not to eat raw flour? The cake mix isn’t raw once you’ve baked it. There’s nothing to make you sick because it’s all been baked.
There are parts with crumbly dry bits, though.
Why don’t you add sugar to this Dump Cake Recipe?
This is a “No Added Sugar Dump Cake Recipe.” There are plenty of recipes out there that call for added sugar. But I have to tell you that they’re too sweet for me! And I love sweets. This strawberry rhubarb dump cake is fairly sweet. The Jello and the cake mix are full of sugar and they make this recipe sweet enough.
BUT YOU CAN ADD UP TO A CUP OF SUGAR!
BUT if you don’t think you’re going to like it with tangy rhubarb on the bottom and sweet, crispy cake on the top, you can always add up to a cup of sugar AFTER the Jello and BEFORE the cake mix. Don’t stir it in; this cake is about layering, no mixing!
What do I need to make this Strawberry Rhubarb Dump Cake?
You start this rhubarb cake with a cake mix and go from there. You don’t need a lot, but a few key items kept on hand will make this a cake you can make any time.
- Chopped Rhubarb
- Small Box of Jello, can be ANY flavor
- ***OPTIONAL*** 1/2-1 cup sugar, you don’t need it, but then rhubarb is tangy, so add as desired!
- Yellow or White Cake Mix
- Melted butter
- Water
- 9×13 pan
Do I thaw the Rhubarb Before adding it to the pan?
I do not thaw rhubarb before adding it to MOST recipes. It gets VERY soupy when it thaws out, so it’s best used as close to frozen as possible. For this cake, I let it thaw for about 20 minutes or until I could break it apart with my hands, BUT before it was soft and mushy.
Other Amazing Rhubarb Recipes
What Other People Are Saying
Readers love this Magic Rhubarb Dump Cake for letting the tart rhubarb flavor shine while still being easy to throw together. It’s been made with fresh garden rhubarb and frozen rhubarb alike, served with ice cream, and shared with family and neighbors of all ages.
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“So easy and a great way to use the last of the frozen rhubarb. The whole family loved it with vanilla ice cream!”
— From Angela, a reader who made it a family favorite
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“I have 13 rhubarb plants in my garden and shared this dump cake with my neighbor, who is 87 years young. She had never had a dump cake like it in her life!”
— From Bert, a reader who shared it with a neighbor
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“This was delicious without the extra sugar. The flavor of the rhubarb really comes through! Will definitely make this again.”
— From Marsha, a reader who loved the balance of flavors
If you like this, will you share it? If you made this, will you rate it?
Rhubarb Dump Cake
Ingredients
- 4 cups chopped rhubarb fresh or frozen, if using frozen do not thaw!
- 3 ounce Strawberry Jello or use ANY flavor you like
- 1/2 cup sugar optional, see notes for more info!
- 16 ounce yellow or white cake mix I used a Duncan Hines yellow cake
- 1/2 cup butter melted
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- preheat the oven to 350°
- layer the rhubarb in the bottom of a 9×13 pan, if it's frozen do not thaw it, just let it thaw enough to break apart
- sprinkle the Jello over the top
- sprinkle the dry cake mix over the Jello
- pour the melted butter on top of the cake mix
- and drizzle the water over the top of everything
- bake in the preheated oven 55-60 minutes or until the top is set in places and the fruit is bubbling hot
- cool a little before serving, this doesn't cut like a cake so be ready to scoop it up!
How deelish! I haven’t had rhubarb in forever! This looks so easy that I’m going to have to try it soon for sure…YUM!
This was delicious without the extra sugar…the flavor of the rhubarb comes through! Will definitely make this again.
Hi, Laura–I plan to make this Rhubarb Dump Cake for our upcoming Fourth of July gathering, and I am not much of a baker. I would like to ask, please: for my friends who aren’t as accustomed to rhubarb, would it be possible to turn this into a Strawberry-Rhubarb Dump Cake?? If so, what changes need to be made to this wonderful recipe, which I’m very much looking forward to trying?? Especially any changes in ingredients or their amounts in this recipe, resulting from the addition of frozen strawberries (or I could use fresh strawberries, but I will definitely have to use frozen rhubarb)….!!
I can only imagine how busy you must be, but if you could possibly write back before July 1, I would be grateful. I am older, don’t drive, and will need suffficient time to assemble everything I need so as to make this Dump Cake in time for my gathering….!! 🙂
Many thanks, Laura, and kindest regards,
Anne B.
My favorite way to make rhubarb now! I make it in crockpot – a couple of tweaks, I just mix in the frozen berries with the rhubarb( Ive had sitting around for two weeks till almost dried out), I add the jello, a tablespoon or two of cornstarch, 1/3 cup sugar and the water and mix it all together , pop it into the greased crockpot, sprinkle on the cake mix and top with sliced butter, instead of melted and cook it on high with a paper towel under the lid to absorb the moisture and presto in 3 hours – its done. The cobbler/ dump cake is too yummy – I like it best cold, with a splash of heavy cream over it – so, so good. Thank u for the delicious recipe
Made this awesome dessert and it was a hit!! I used 1/3 c sugar and just less than 1 c water as the rhubarb had juice… will definitely make again. Hubby approved
This was super easy to make and so flavorful!
Made this today and it was a huge hit!! Probably my best yet! I’ll admit though that I improvised quite a bit to fit what I had on hand. I used about 5 cups of chopped rhubarb, 1.2 oz of sugar free strawberry jello (2x 0.6 oz boxes), and a homemade yellow cake mix. Since I had sugar free jello I opted to add 1/2 cup of sugar. This was plenty sweet so I may do half the extra sugar next time. Still delicious! I saved this one for the future!
I don’t typically add sugar even when I use sugar free jello. It’s just so sweet without it. But YEAH glad you like it!!
The calorie count is not correct. There are 9 calories per gram of fat. The serving indicates there are 9 grams of fat (9×9=81). The total calorie count per serving is listed as 92. I have made this for years w/o butter nor added sugar. I generally use 2 boxes of sugar free gelatin. I top it with black walnuts.
Made this, was a hit. Simple yet delicious. Thank you for sharing ❤️
So easy and great way to use the last of the frozen rhubarb. The whole family loved it with vanilla ice cream!
I have 13 rhubarb plants in my garden and I made this dump cake and I shared it with my neighbor lady and she had never had such a dump cake in her life, she is 87 years young God bless her