Are you like me and have a pile of rhubarb in the freezer from when you harvested it last fall? Some years after already baking in the summer I still have 25 cups or so that get stowed away in the freezer. I wanted something easy to make so with some research I made this super simple Rhubarb Dump Cake.
Our rhubarb patch does very well and we have numerous stalks each year with a wonderful deep ruby-red color. This makes for such wonderful desserts. I have made a cake similar to this called a Blueberry Breakfast Cake where you dump the fruit into a 9×13 inch baking dish and put a batter on top.
For the blueberry cake, you actually make up a batter and pour it over. This Rhubarb Dump Cake recipe is even easier than that where you add the fruit, sugar, dry cake mix, water, and melted butter. Try our Strawberry Dump Cake too.
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3 Rhubarb Plants – Crimson Red
The end result is something like a crisp or cobbler. Very cool! I saw many recipes that asked for jello but I thought no way, that is going to be too sweet on top of the other ingredients. I didn’t need color either for my rhubarb so I omitted that.
So I decided to go without the jello for my recipe and I am so glad I did. Not too crazy sweet as the tart rhubarb balances it very nicely. This is such an easy and delicious recipe. You have nothing to loose.
What Desserts Can You Make With Rhubarb?
We have loads of desserts using rhubarb on our site, plus some with a strawberry rhubarb combination. I love that strawberry flavor with rhubarb too. It is such an easy ingredient to work with!
Once you start to grow a plant or two you have a nice harvest every year and they take very little care. Maybe just the occasional water, they really just grow like a weed on their own.
Here are all of our wonderful rhubarb dessert recipes and one cocktail recipe too!
No Churn Rhubarb Ice Cream Recipe
How Do You Make a Rhubarb Dump Cake?
We are talking as simple as it gets in making the rhubarb dump cake. To make a rhubarb dump cake all I did was spray a 9×13″ pan with cooking spray. Preheat your oven to 350 F.
I then added in the frozen fruit, in this case, rhubarb. I sprinkled the sugar over the rhubarb and then followed that with the dry cake mix. You then sprinkle the cake mix, pour the water and then melted butter. Trying to evenly disperse all the ingredients.
What? No mixing, yup that is correct. DO NOT MIX but put it directly into a preheated oven.
You can add fresh fruit also to make this, it doesn’t have to be frozen. Serve this dessert warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream.
Rhubarb Dump Cake with Yellow Cake Mix
I love how the fruit bubbles up through the crust. This is so yummy you won’t believe it. I liked the yellow cake mix for this recipe as opposed to a white cake mix to give it the warm contrast in colors.
Grab some of your frozen rhubarb and bring summer to life again in this easy dessert!!
Rhubarb Dump Cake
Ingredients
- 4 cups fresh or frozen rhubarb chopped
- 1 scant cup white sugar
- 1 package yellow cake mix
- 1 cup water
- 1/3 cup butter melted
- Cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 9x13" pan with cooking spray.
- Add the rhubarb and spread out evenly on the bottom of the pan.
- Sprinkle over the sugar followed by the cake mix.
- Pour over the water and melted butter evenly. DO NOT MIX!
- Bake for 45 min. until bubbling and the rhubarb is tender and the top is slightly browned.
Comments & Reviews
Lisa B says
This is great, we’re having it tonight! Try this variation: instead of adding the sugar and water, pour a can of lemon-lime soda over the rhubarb topped with dry cake mix. Don’t skip the butter! My rhubarb is mostly green, not much red (kind of unappetizing) so a handful of strawberries helps with that.
Tara Noland says
Wow would have never thought of using soda but I can see that working!!
Teri says
I use 7-Up for all my dump cakes! It just adds that little something extra. 😄
Joa n says
Cake mix 18oz or the new 15…
Tara Noland says
I would say either would work just fine, don’t you love how they try to save money by giving you less. Seems like that for everything!
Stephanie says
Do I need to thaw the frozen rhubarb?
Tara Noland says
I don’t but it will take a bit longer to bake.
Kim says
Cake flavor overwhelms the rhubarb and it just tastes like- way too sweet, soggy, cake!! Yuck
Kathy says
Making for the second time. This is so good and super simple.
Tara Noland says
So glad you are enjoying it!!
Pam says
If you are using fresh rhubarb, do you need to do anything different?
Tara Noland says
No, fresh or frozen work well.
Crystal says
Sooo easy and yummy! A hit with my family. We love rhubarb. Cannot wait to try this recipe with some other fruits as suggested by some others here.
Thanks for sharing this quick family recipe.
Tara Noland says
So glad you enjoyed it. This has become a very popular recipe and trying it with other fruit would be a hit too.
Marlene Larsen says
This was a very easy and delicious rubarb dump cake recipe. The sweetness and tart ratio is perfect. Will definitely make this again.
Tara Noland says
So glad you liked it, thanks for coming to tell us too!!
Ms says
Do you know if you was runny? Cooked for an hour.
Tara Noland says
The cake shouldn’t be runny, hopefully you to the right temperature on the oven. Just bake it longer.
Kim Hammond says
Sounds wonderful. Do you know if this can be done in a crockpot/slow cooker?
Thank you in advance!
Tara Noland says
I have never tried that so sorry I have no idea.
Michelle says
Have made this twice in the past month! Absolutely delicious! Once with rhubarb (fresh), strawberries and blueberries (both frozen), and tonight with sour cherries and blueberries (both frozen). Last time I had some dry cake mix, so tonight I used 2/3 of the cake mix, water and butter on top of the 4 cups of fruit and scant cup of sugar. Saving the left over cake mix to make a small one for my dad for Father’s Day.
Tara Noland says
I am so glad you are enjoying making it. It is just the easiest thing ever. Check out our new video as we just put it up yesterday.
Destiny says
Really easy, delicious recipe. I just found that it was really sugary for my liking. Next time I’ll try half the amount of sugar, and see how that goes.
Anna says
Could a person use other fruits in place of rhubarb?
Tara Noland says
Yes, I think most fruits would work in this recipe. Berries would be delicious!!
Sabrina says
I have used blueberry + pineapple
Gloria murillo says
I noticed after I baked this, there was loose powdered cake mix on top.
Tara Noland says
That does happen in spots, just serve with ice cream and it will all be good.
Dede says
I make sure it is completely covered with the melted butter.
Louise says
I have frozen rhubarb that’s thawed. Do I have to drain the liquid first from the rhubarb before adding cake mix??
Tara Noland says
The best way to use frozen rhubarb is not to thaw it first and just add it in frozen. I think you will have to drain off some of the moisture now to use it but it is honestly not something I have worked with. I would go straight to a compote instead. https://noshingwiththenolands.com/strawberry-rhubarb-compote-for-mothers-day-sundaysupper/
Kali says
I’d drain it but reserve the liquid. Use the reserved liquid to replace part of the water that gets sprinkled over the top. That way, you don’t lose any of the flavor!
Tara Noland says
Thank you so much for your comments Kali, appreciated.
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Sandy says
Can this be frozen? We’re camping and no access to an oven?
Tara Noland says
Frozen instead of baked? Or frozen after baking?
Michele says
Can it be Frozen after baking?
Tara Noland says
I have not done this as it disappears quickly here but I think you would be okay trying it.
Kali says
Have you got a Dutch oven? Dump cakes cooked over the coals in a Dutch oven are a super traditional camp dessert.
Judy says
I’m making it right now, we have a rhubarb plant and we picked it, I got 4 cups out of it❤️We love rhubarb❤️