Easy Strawberry Rhubarb Upside Down Cake

Even if you’re not a rhubarb fan, this super easy strawberry rhubarb upside down cake is a must try!

The one plant in our yard that continues to thrive no matter the lack of water or extreme heat is our rhubarb plants. Every year like old faithful, they reappear bigger, fuller and more bountiful than the last years rhubarb season.

Since we always have an endless amount of rhubarb this time of year, I’m always looking for new great recipes to enjoy. Obviously a yummy dessert recipe is always my top choice! So yesterday I decided to hop into the kitchen and make this sweet strawberry rhubarb upside down cake.

Don’t you love how red this cake turned out?! The bright red color is from the strawberry gelatin! That’s right – this cake doesn’t have any fresh strawberries in it but it’s still bursting with a ton of that delicious strawberry taste! The clever addition of gelatin has a perfect way of balancing the tart rhubarb.

I had no idea the gelatin would turn the cake batter soooo red but it’s kinda a cool, striking look!

So now that I probably surprised you with one of the secret ingredients, you’re probably wondering what else is in this sweet summer cake. Well, there’s only 5 ingredients total!

You could add a sixth ingredient if you’d like to top the strawberry rhubarb cake. I’d suggest some whipped cream or (my pick) a scoop of vanilla ice cream! Last night I tried to get Chris to top his and he said the cake was so good by itself. And he didn’t need anything else – just another piece! 🙂

So the steps to make this are indeed super easy. Start by slicing all the fresh rhubarb and laying it in a greased baking dish.

As I was placing my slices in the bottom of the pan, I decided to do a fun little pattern. You don’t have to repeat this step but I think it gives this delicious dessert a super unique look. Once the rhubarb is in the pan, sprinkle over the top of the rhubarb the strawberry gelatin, sugar and mini marshmallows.

Next comes the hardest part of the whole recipe – and this ain’t even hard! Grab a large bowl and prepare the cake mix according to the package directions. Either a yellow or white cake will work in this recipe. For mine, I went with a yellow cake.

My cake mix required one cup water, three eggs, and 1/3 cup of butter. So I would suggest to have those ingredients on hand as well before you start to make this simple cake. 🙂

Once the cake mix batter is completely mixed, you just pour it over the layered rhubarb, gelatin, and marshmallows. Then bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes or even to room temperature. Then invert the cake pan onto your favorite serving platter. And that’s it!

All that’s left to do now is enjoy a really big slice of this sweet treat. This is such an easy cake to make. I really hope the next time you’re looking for the perfect cake dessert you’ll give this strawberry rhubarb upside down cake a try! Maybe now I should try making a strawberry rhubarb jam. Whatta you think?

MORE RHUBARB RECIPES

If you are looking for more rhubarb desserts, be sure to check out my super easy rhubarb strawberry crisp recipe as well!