Keto dump cake is so easy to make and tastes fabulous. This low carb dessert features the bright flavors of strawberries and rhubarb with a buttery crust.
Okay so let’s talk about dump cakes, shall we? Because I had honestly never heard of them until a few years ago. I don’t know if it’s my Canadian upbringing or what, but they were entirely foreign to me.
I love the foodie world because it’s constantly introducing me to new things. And then I take this new idea, give it a keto makeover, and in turn introduce them to you.
So it was time I created a keto dump cake. It was a huge experiment, but it turned out better than I could have hoped. This strawberry rhubarb dump cake will not be my last!
Are you a rhubarb fanatic too? Then be sure to also check out my keto rhubarb crisp and my keto rhubarb scones!
What is dump cake?
In case you are as clueless as I was before embarking on my dump cake journey, let me enlighten you.
Dump cake is much as it sounds: you dump all of your ingredients into the pan, and you bake it. Much less work than a conventional cake. And they come out more like a delicious fruit cobbler, rather than a traditional sponge cake.
Sounds great, right? Except for the fact that most dump cakes are made with canned pie filling and boxed cake mix. Gasp, splutter, gasp! Oh, the sugar, oh the carbs!
Don’t worry, we aren’t going there. I have my ways and means, my lovelies.
How to make keto dump cake
Making the filling keto-friendly was quite easy. No need to use any canned pie filling, just toss the suite with sweetener and a little thickener like glucomannan or xanthan gum.
What fruit you choose is obviously very important, since fruit contains so much sugar. But the amount of fruit you need for a dump cake is significant and even berries aren’t quite low enough in carbs.
I highly recommend mixing the fruit with something like rhubarb, which is really low carb, and has it’s own delicious thing going on. But you could do something like chayote squash as well.
Replacing the standard cake mix for the topping took a little more consideration. I considered what normally goes into one of my keto cake recipes and cut it down to size.
Then I followed standard practice and simply drizzled melted butter over the top. It worked out beautifully, and I ended up with a bubbly sweet filling topped with a slightly crispy golden brown topping.
I did have to use a bowl to mix my topping together before “dumping”. A small price to pay for a healthier dump cake!
Tips for making this recipe
This delicious strawberry rhubarb cake is simple to make, but here are my best tips for getting it right:
- Use a glass or ceramic baking dish, as acidic fillings like rhubarb can react with metal and take on a tinny taste.
- The filling can be made with any sweetener you like best.
- You don’t have to use a thickener in the filling, but your dump cake will be more watery when serving.
- For a crispy topping, you really need an erythritol based sweetener such as Swerve. Other sweeteners (allulose, xylitol, etc.) will result in a softer cake. Which is absolutely fine if that’s what you’re looking for.
- As you drizzle the butter over the “cake mix”, try to get as even as possible. But it’s okay to have a few dry spots, they will still cook through.
Storing and serving Strawberry Rhubarb Dump Cake
Top with some keto vanilla ice cream or some lightly sweetened whipped cream.
A cake like this is best served fresh, although it will last in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. The topping won’t stay crisp but it’s still delicious.
Simply cover the whole dish with plastic wrap or tinfoil before refrigerating.
More keto rhubarb recipes
- Vanilla Custard with Roasted Rhubarb
- Rhubarb Coffee Cake
- Strawberry Rhubarb Fool
- Rhubarb Dream Bars
- Rhubarb Lemon Meringue Squares
- Berry Rhubarb Jam
Keto dump cake is so easy to make and tastes fabulous. This low carb dessert features the bright flavors of strawberries and rhubarb with a buttery crust.
- 2 1/2 cups chopped rhubarb
- 1 cup chopped strawberries
- 1/2 cup powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 1/2 tsp glucomannan can sub xanthan gum
- 1 1/4 cup almond flour
- 1/3 cup Swerve Sweetener
- 1/4 cup coconut flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2/3 cup butter melted
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Preheat the oven to 350F and grease a 2-quart glass or ceramic baking dish.
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Add the rhubarb and strawberries to the dish and sprinkle with the sweetener and glucomannan. Toss to combine well.
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In a medium bow, whisk together the almond flour, sweetener, coconut flour, baking powder, and salt. Sprinkle evenly over the filling in the dish.
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Drizzle the melted butter as evenly as possible over the topping. Get as many places as you can, but it's okay to have a few dry bits.
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Bake about 45 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling up through in places. Remove and let cool (the topping will crisp up some as it cools).
Amanda says
I am wondering if one can use frozen strawberries or rhubarb (thawing them first). Also wondering if you can do this with all rhubarb and no strawberries? Where I live (Canada) there is at least a month between rhubarb season and strawberry season…
Carolyn says
yes and yes, to all your questions… 😉
Amanda says
Excellent! Thanks. Feeling for all you people unable to find rhubarb, I have all the rhubarb and am always trying to foist it off on people.
Faith says
Growing up in NY, strawberry rhubarb dump cake was my favorite dessert, although the “strawberry” part was a pkg of dry strawberry jello sprinkled over the rhubarb, then the cake mix, then the butter and a cup of water poured over. I now live in SC and rhubarb doesn’t grow here and you can’t buy it unless you find it in the tiny “foreign and lonely foods” section-right next to the turnips, etc. I also have to eat gluten free now and I have missed it so much-thank you for making this in a gf low carb version so next time I find some rhubarb, I’ll know where to come for the recipe revision! Yay!!
Carolyn says
Glad to hear it, Faith! When you do come across extra, buy a bunch and slice it and freeze it. That’s what I do!
Kelly says
Faith, you might be able to find it in the freezer section of a grocery store. That’s where I found some when I couldn’t find it fresh in the store.
Pam Bradley says
Rhubarb is rare in my area. I see you mentioned chayote. I have tried chayote before in a recipe. It was quite watery. Do you have any specific tips for using chayote ?
Carolyn says
Yup… use the thickener I mention!
Heidi says
I am a strawberry rhubarb fanatic! I recently bought a tower garden and am thrilled about being able to grow rhubarb indoors all year round! I also love dump cake! My grandma often made it when we would visit. Her method of distributing the butter so that it completely covered the dry cake mix was to slice a very cold stick of butter into very thin slices and lay them on top of the cake so they were almost touching. It was beautiful!
Carolyn says
Okay, please enlighten me…. what is a tower garden?
Katie says
A tower garden is an indoor garden tower that self waters and you plug into an outlet and whatever herbs or green grow vertically versus horizontally like in a raised outdoor garden. You can grow 10 different herbs or veggies. If you have heard of the aerogarden its the same concept but aeorgardens are table top and much smaller. The water basin at the bottom can self water all the pots so its like a vertical fountain but with herbs or some veggies. They are nice for people who dont have yards or much space to have an actual garden. Or who lack a green thumb and kill most plants. Heres a link on amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Mr-Stacky-Smart-Farm-Hydroponic/dp/B06VSHBNXS/ref=pd_sbs_86_2/136-7213214-3120949?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B06VSHBNXS&pd_rd_r=150b9aaf-e00b-4a0c-a545-40d49de7c28a&pd_rd_w=Gflbv&pd_rd_wg=93Gn5&pf_rd_p=e20a7044-dca9-4b2c-8da8-05b176efe6fb&pf_rd_r=DQXM344RFJDXC01EJVYM&psc=1&refRID=DQXM344RFJDXC01EJVYM
LIZ J says
Hi Carolyn,
Can I use just the strawberries or strawberries with another fruit? Not sure if I would like rhubarb so don’t want to spend money to buy it and have to throw it out.
Thanks,
LIZ J
LeAnn Kealey says
Most of the dump cakes I have done were in a slow cooker. Do you think this recipe would work in a slow cooker?
Carolyn says
I can’t say for sure. I do suspect that the moist heat of the slow cooker will make your topping rather soggy. Tasty, but not crisp.
Doris Poore says
I made this last night for our dessert. It was so delicious and very easy to make. I’ve never cooked rhubarb before and was afraid it would be sour but it was just right. My husband who won’t try new things even said it was good. I did serve it warm with a scoop of vanilla low carb ice cream. This recipe is definitely a keeper!
Carolyn says
Hooray!
Samantha jo says
Hello there sweet, wondering if I can use an unflavored gelatin as a thickener?? Anyone done that yet??
Carolyn says
No, I haven’t tried that but I suspect it will make your filling rather jelly-ish.
Louise says
Any chance you have a nut-free sub for the almond flour?
Carolyn says
Try sunflower seed flour.
Joann says
I have made it with diet straberry jello. Poured it over the rubard and sugar. It was delishous
Jennifer says
Dump cake is huge in Kansas. We’ve been making them since I was very little. Suggestion: if you want to make sure the whole top is covered in butter, slice the butter in thin pats and lay them over the top. They will melt in and make a wonderful, crisp top. Can not wait to try this. May do it with zucchini and cinnamon making an “apple” dump cake!!! Mmmmm!
carol says
What a wonderful idea!
Jane Armstrong says
This is a beautiful recipe. I made it yesterday and it is delicious. Our Sprouts store had just received fresh rhubarb. It wasn’t out in the store yet so they went in the back and brought me two beautiful stalks. I also used fresh strawberries. I will definitely be making this again. I served it with almond milk whipped cream that I also found at Sprouts.
Christa says
Made this early this morning for our Sunday family dinner. So easy & quick! Huge hit with the family, so much so that I’m making another one tonight. Thank you thank you thank you! Your recipes keep this keto girl goin!
🍓🍓🍓
Carolyn says
So glad to hear it!
MJ says
I grew up with a family garden and my parents often made rhubarb pie. This recipe took me back to childhood and was equally delicious. I am Type 1 and I cannot tell you how happy it made me to be able to enjoy such a nostalgic treat.
Carolyn says
Happy to hear that!
Lorraine says
This was way too sweet for me even though I used about 15% less sweetener. I will reduce further next time. I also found it made 6 portions not 10. I love rhubarb so will make again but would love more of a sponge cake topping (lives Eve’s Pudding). Anyone know of a recipe?
Mary Sturgeon says
RHUBARB 😍😍😍 I made this dump cake for the first time earlier this week. Made it last night with a few alterations….I made it in an unusual loaf pan(4×12) so there would be more edging less middle which became more soggy than the edges when I first made it. I eliminated the strawberries (why mess with rhubarb 😉) because I thought it added to the moisture content too. Added another cup of rhubarb. Plus, I added a little more coconut flour (1/8c) I also used less sweetener when mixing the rhubarb with the Xanthan gum. I couldn’t wait to try it last night and it was good but this morning it was even better😍😍😍. Thx Carolyn! Now to try more of your beloved rhubarb recipes
Kathleen O. says
On the menu for this weekend. The rhubarb crisp recipe was a winner and hubby came home with more rhubarb and asked “what’s next”? A question about using ground chia seeds as a thickener – thoughts? suggested amounts?
Carolyn says
I did that in my previous rhubarb crisp recipe. It’s okay…kind of gummy.
Raquel says
Can you use the Swerve cake mix for the topping?
Carolyn says
I don’t know, I haven’t tried that.
matthew locastro says
This recipe is perfect. Will be making it again and again.
Jake says
Ugh, this was horrible. I had such high hopes…but is basically wet sand with some mushy fruit under it.
Carolyn says
Sorry you didn’t love it but you can see many people do so I think something must have gone wrong on your end. What sweetener did you use?
Erin says
Dump cakes are the best and I love this strawberry rhubarb flavor combo, so great for summer
Rachael Yerkes says
I love a delicious dessert that works well with my diet! This one is super great
Matt Taylor says
I don’t do enough with rhubarb! This looks so easy to make. 🙂
katerina @ diethood.com says
I can’t wait to try this! It sounds like the perfect keto dessert!
Trish says
Unfortunately, this will not be a keeper for us. The flavor is pretty good but the texture is not at all. Very mushy. I followed the recipe exactly except I used Lakanto monkfruit sweetener.
I’ll try some of the other rhubarb recipes on this site because I have a ton of it and I’ve had good luck with other recipes here.
Carolyn says
The top should not be mushy so I suspect the sweetener was the issue. Also… what flours did you use?