I have never quite embraced the term "dump cake," but I sure can get excited about this easy rhubarb dump cake recipe! Dump cakes go together fast because the ingredients for the cake are "dumped" into a baking dish without much preparation or mixing.
Dump cakes became popular when cake mixes started showing up in stores. Women were thrilled with how fast they could whip up a dessert. Cooks are endlessly creative, and over the years, cake mixes have turned into dump cakes, cookies, quickbreads, and bars.
In this recipe, only the dry mix is used! Dump cakes have been around since poodle skirts, but they are every bit as popular now as ever because of our go-go-go endlessly busy lives.
We live in the country, and our electric supplier, Dawson Public Power, and the Nebraska Rural Electric Association send us a great little publication called Nebraska Magazine every month. It always has interesting articles about businesses and events in our great state.
In each issue, there's a page with recipes submitted by readers. And almost every month, I find the magazine opened to that page on my kitchen island courtesy of Papa. This easy rhubarb dump cake recipe is from Meribeth Kelsey from North Platte, Nebraska.
Thank you, Meribeth! (This month, it was a French Toast casserole, and last month, Buffalo Chicken Dip!)
Rhubarb can range in color from green to pink to red. The color is no indication of ripeness or sweetness like it is with other fruits. Our rhubarb is a green stem variety, not as red as others. It's not as pretty, but it's every bit as tasty! Begin by chopping four cups of rhubarb.
You can also use frozen rhubarb, either your own or some you buy in the grocery store. It's a good idea to defrost the rhubarb and throw away any liquid before baking. Rhubarb shrinks when frozen, so you may need to thaw a little extra to get the full four cups for this recipe.
Put the rhubarb in the bottom of a sprayed or greased 13″ by 9″ baking pan. I love this David Burke Gourmet Pro pan I picked up at Marshall's. I want a whole cupboard full of his bakeware! It's so heavy, and nothing sticks! The rose gold color is perfect for this pretty rhubarb dump cake!
Now mix the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle it over the chopped rhubarb. The sugar will help draw moisture out of the rhubarb as it bakes.
Now sprinkle a box of dry strawberry jello over the rhubarb. In my case, this red gelatin really "pretties up" my green rhubarb! If you prefer, you could use raspberry or cherry jello.
Next, sprinkle a 15.25-ounce box of yellow cake mix, dry, over the rhubarb layer, distributing it as evenly as possible. Don't stress over imperfection; rusticity is part of the charm of a dump cake!
Pour one cup of cold water over everything. Then, pour five tablespoons of melted butter over the dry mix as evenly as possible. I usually melt my butter in a glass measuring cup with a lip and use it to drizzle on the butter as evenly as I can. (I am not known for my precision.)
Resist the urge to stir or mix the ingredients. Don't! Now you see the pretty red color peeking out in the pan! Pop the pan into a 350-degree oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the top gets golden brown and the rhubarb is hot and bubbly.
This easy rhubarb dump cake begs to be served warm with a great big scoop of the best vanilla ice cream you can find!
Enjoy this yummy cake and remember spring with all its rhubarbian delights we baked! Aren't you glad you froze some so you can make this amazingly easy rhubarb dump cake for the holidays or any old blustery winter day when you need a smile?
This dessert is definitely good to the last bite. You may even want to lick the bowl if no one is looking! If you've got some extra frozen rhubarb, try this one-bowl Rustic Rhubarb Bread recipe!
Here's an easy dump cake using fresh or frozen rhubarb, a yellow cake mix, and a box of strawberry jello. You can throw this together in minutes and be out of the kitchen in less than an hour!
You can use a white cake, butter cake, or vanilla cake mix instead of a yellow cake mix. You can substitute raspberry or cherry jello for strawberry jello.
If you liked this recipe, you are my people! And if you like this recipe, please share it on your social media accounts like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter! It would sure tickle me, and I would be ever so grateful!
If you haven't already, please look for me on Facebook and Pinterest, where I will share easy, delicious, family-friendly recipes every week!
Love, GB (Betty Streff)
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