The Easiest Strawberry Rhubarb Cake You've Ever Made Is Just 3 Simple Ingredients Away

Strawberry rhubarb is a classic sweet, tangy, and refreshing dessert combination using two summer season favorites. And we've got plenty of strawberry rhubarb desserts other than a standard pie in our repertoire, including strawberry rhubarb cookie bars and a turnovers recipe. But, if you don't want to complicate things too much, the easiest strawberry rhubarb cake you'll ever make is just three simple ingredients away.

For an effortless yet delicious strawberry rhubarb dump cake, all you need is a stick of butter, yellow or white cake mix, and two cans of strawberry rhubarb pie filling. You'll start by dumping both cans of pie filling into a baking dish, spreading it into an even layer across the bottom. Then, you can either combine the cake mix with melted butter to create a crumble in a separate bowl before layering it on top of the fruit filling, or you can simply add the dry cake mix on top of the fruit filling and drizzle melted butter over it separately. All that's left is to bake the cake. Make sure to let the cake rest after you take it out of the oven so that the fruit filling can thicken before serving. This dump cake is brown and chewy on top and juicy and tender on bottom, bursting with sweet, tangy flavors that are complemented by the vanilla in the cake mix. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream or your favorite brand of vanilla ice cream.

A dump cake is generally a foolproof success, as it is as simple to make as its ingredients list. However, there are a few tips to make sure you get the best texture every time. A crucial rule to always follow is to never mix the ingredients, only layer them. Once you've sprinkled the cake mix over the pie filling, resist the urge to mix everything together because you won't get the opposing textural layers that almost mimic a cobbler. Certain recipes recommend covering cakes with tin foil and peircing a tiny hole in the center before baking for a more even cook. A good way to tell that the dump cake is finished is to look for the fruit filling bubbling up around the edges of the cake.

As evidenced in this strawberry rhubarb crisp recipe, a crispy, crunchy element is a textural boon to contrast the gooey, bubbly pie filling in such desserts. And, in the case of this dump cake, adding a bit of crunch will also contrast the chewy, crumbly cake layer. You can try adding oats and brown sugar in with the cake mix by mixing everything with the melted butter. Or, sprinkle chopped pecans, walnuts, or almond slivers over the cake mix before drizzling butter on top and baking.