This easy Rhubarb Dump Cake is one of the simplest spring desserts you can make. With just a few pantry ingredients and fresh or frozen rhubarb, this cozy cake-meets-cobbler comes together in minutes. The sweet and tart filling bubbles up under a buttery cake mix topping, creating a nostalgic dessert that’s perfect for potlucks, family gatherings, or using up seasonal rhubarb.
I love making this recipe during rhubarb season because it requires almost no prep and always gets rave reviews. Whether served warm with vanilla ice cream or chilled straight from the fridge, this classic dump cake is a reliable crowd-pleaser.
Do you like rhubarb recipes like I do? Make Rhubarb Healthy Orange Rhubarb Muffins with Buttermilk, Frosted Rhubarb Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting, Strawberry Rhubarb Lemonade, or Rhubarb Fruit Leather.
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Why You Will Love Rhubarb Dump Cake
It’s amazing how a simple box of cake mix can easily turn into a dessert with a streusel topping with just the help of some butter. Trust me this works, and all you do is place the butter over the top of the dry cake mix.
- Only a few simple ingredients
- No mixing bowls required
- Perfect balance of sweet and tart
- Great for spring and early summer
- Make-ahead friendly for parties
- Works with fresh or frozen rhubarb
Ingredients Needed for Rhubarb Dump Cake
- Chopped rhubarb - Pick it straight from the garden if you’re one of those lucky people with rhubarb. Don’t like rhubarb? Use your favorite fruit. Cherry pie filling or apple pie filling would work great.
- Sugar - Regular granulated sugar. I do not use sugar substitutes in any of my recipes but if you know the conversions feel free to do so.
- Yellow cake Mix - can sub sugar free cake mix if you like
- Butter, melted - The best butter to use for baking is unsalted butter so you can control the amount of salt that goes into the recipe. For some dump cakes online they just call for pats of butter over the dry cake mix. That also works as well if you don’t want to melt it.
- See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How to Make Rhubarb Dump Cake
Step 1: In a greased glass 9 x 13 pan, lay the rhubarb and sugar in the pan.
Step 2: Over the rhubarb and sugar layer, sprinkle the cake mix over the top.
Step 3: Slice the cold butter into tablespoon size slices and place the butter all over the dry cake mix.
Step 4: Bake at 350 for 40 - 60 minutes or until golden & crispy on top. Check the cake at 40 to see if it's done. If it's not add on an extra 20 minutes.
Variations to Try
- Strawberry Rhubarb Dump Cake Replace some rhubarb with sliced strawberries for a sweeter flavor and beautiful color.
- Rhubarb Dump Cake Without Jello Skip gelatin and add cinnamon or vanilla for a more natural fruit filling.
- From-Scratch Rhubarb Dump Cake Use a homemade cake mix made from flour, sugar, and baking powder for a pantry-friendly version.
- Rhubarb Dump Cake with Different Cake Mix Flavors Try spice cake, butter cake, or vanilla cake mix for new flavor combinations.
- Frozen Rhubarb Dump Cake No need to thaw frozen rhubarb — just add extra baking time if needed.
Rhubarb Dump Cake Expert Tips
- Do not mix the layers or the topping won’t form properly
- Cut rhubarb into small pieces for even baking
- Chill before slicing for cleaner portions
- Add extra butter pats for a crispier topping
- Taste rhubarb — very tart rhubarb may need more sugar
⭐ Serving Suggestions
- Serve warm with vanilla ice cream - Ninja Creami Vanilla Ice Cream
- Top with whipped cream or custard
- Bring to BBQs or potlucks
- Perfect spring dessert for Mother’s Day or Easter
- Great way to use garden rhubarb
Recipe FAQs
Yes — frozen rhubarb works well and doesn’t need to be thawed first.
Keep refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
The butter or liquid may not have been evenly distributed.
The butter can make the cake a little gooey right as you take it out of the oven. It is best to let the cake sit out for awhile to set to prevent that from happening.
Other Recipes To Try
If you tried this Rhubarb Dump Cake or any other recipe on my website, please please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you! Follow along on Tiktok @jennarecipediaries
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Rhubarb Dump Cake
- Prep Time: 20min
- Cook Time: 40 min
- Total Time: 40 min
- Yield: 24 1x
- Category: Easy
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
This Rhubarb Dump Cake is so easy, it literally requires no mixing! Just dump all the ingredients in the cake pan by layers and watch the cake/crisp do it's magic in the oven
Ingredients
- 4-5 cups chopped rhubarb
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 box of yellow cake
- 2 sticks of butter, cut into cold cubes
Instructions
- In a greased glass 9 x 9 pan, lay the rhubarb and sugar in the pan.
- Over the rhubarb and sugar layer, sprinkle the cake mix over the top.
- Slice the butter into small cubes the size of tablespoon. Then place the butter evenly over the dry cake mix.
- Bake at 350 for 40 - 60 minutes or until golden & crispy on top.
Notes
myWW points: Blue 7; Green 7; Purple 7
The butter can make the cake a little gooey right as you take it out of the oven. It is best to let the cake sit out for awhile to set to prevent that from happening.
Nutrition
- Calories: 208
- Sugar: 20
- Fat: 9
- Saturated Fat: 3
- Unsaturated Fat: 2
- Carbohydrates: 33
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 1
Recipe adapted from Our Fun with Five
Deb says
Only have lemon cake mix will that work?
Jenna says
Sounds good!
Abigail Baker says
Getting ready to mate this now but I've already cooked down my rhubarb so I'm going to lay the rhubarb in the pan and sprinkle just a tiny bit of sugar over top of it because it's a bit tart then do the cake mix and then do the butter I'm hoping that it will turn out right I will let you know
Jenna says
Of course, check their website for correct measurements though. Not really sure how much splenda you use.
Nancy says
Can you use Splenda instead of sugar for less points!
Mary says
I thought there would be a recipe for rhubarb dump cake and here I found it. I will be making it for work tomorrow. I am looking forward to making it in for my employees to try it!
Jenna says
Yes. White will work too.
Barb says
I'm assuming you could use a white cake mix as well. (That's what I have on hand)
Jenna says
Yes to both. Updated recipe. Thanks.
Lou Ann says
This recipe is in the oven now, but ingredient list says 1/2 sugar. I am assuming you mean 1/2 cup. Also, the ingredients says 1 and 1/2 stick melted butter, but direction says to pour 1 stick melted butter over cake mix. Just needs a little clarification. Hope it tastes as yummy as it smells. Thanks.