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Everyone’s favorite blueberry muffin, reimagined as a vanilla ice cream cake. A graham cracker and gingersnap crust is baked until golden, then layered with creamy vanilla ice cream, sweet blueberry jam, and crumbled blueberry muffins. It’s all finished with a white chocolate magic shell, blueberry muffin chunks, and fresh blueberries. Easy to make ahead and even easier to love. Every slice tastes like blueberry muffins and vanilla ice cream in one perfect bite.
Without fail, every time I make an ice cream cake, I think of my Nonnie. She made her chocolate peanut butter ice cream cake all the time when I was growing up. It was at every summer party, birthday, and family dinner. And if it wasn’t her famous ice cream cake, it was her peach dump cake, served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
The older I get, the more I appreciate the way my grandma cooked, baked, and entertained. Everything she made felt effortless, yet somehow elevated and always beautiful. She had such a special touch.
I don’t remember her ever making a fruit ice cream cake, but she did love a good muffin. Blueberry, banana, chocolate chip—she loved them all. She was always picking up Trader Joe’s muffins and those little gingersnap cookies, making sure my grandpa’s favorites were always stocked.
So while this isn’t her recipe, I know she would have loved it. I started with a classic graham cracker crust and added crushed gingersnaps in her honor. My grandpa would especially appreciate that little nod.
Then I layered creamy vanilla ice cream with blueberry jam and chunks of blueberry muffins, gently swirling everything together before freezing the cake. To finish, I poured over a crisp white chocolate magic shell, inspired by the chocolate shell on my Nonnie’s peanut butter ice cream cake, then topped it with crumbled blueberry muffins and fresh blueberries.
The Details
Ingredients
Crust
- graham crackers
- gingersnap cookies
- brown sugar
- salted butter
Cake
- vanilla ice cream
- blueberry jam
- blueberry muffins
- fresh or frozen blueberries
White Chocolate Magic Shell
- white chocolate
- coconut oil
The Steps
Step 1: Make the Crust
Preheat the oven and line a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Add the graham crackers, gingersnaps, and brown sugar to a food processor and pulse into fine crumbs. Pour in the melted butter and pulse until the crumbs are evenly moistened.
Press the mixture firmly into the bottom of the prepared pan. I like to use the bottom of a measuring cup to really pack it down. Bake until lightly golden, then let the crust cool completely.
Tip: You can use all graham crackers if that’s what you have, but the gingersnaps are what make this crust so special. They add just a hint of warm spice that pairs perfectly with the blueberries and vanilla.
Step 2: Layer the Cake
Spread half of the softened vanilla ice cream over the cooled crust. Spoon over half of the blueberry jam, then crumble the blueberry muffins on top. Use a knife or spoon to gently swirl everything together. Repeat with the remaining ice cream, jam, and more muffins, saving a few for decorating.
Don’t overthink the layers. The swirls of jam and little chunks of muffin make every slice unique.
This is my favorite part. It always reminds me of my Nonnie’s ice cream cakes. She never fussed over making things perfect, and somehow they always turned out beautiful.
Step 3: Freeze
Cover the cake well and freeze until completely firm.
Make Ahead Tip: This is the perfect dessert to make the day before a party or cookout. Just keep it in the freezer until you’re ready to decorate and serve.
Step 4: Make the Magic Shell
Combine the white chocolate and coconut oil in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 20-second intervals, stirring between each, until smooth. Let the mixture cool for a few minutes so it’s still pourable but no longer hot.
Tip: If the chocolate is too warm, it will melt the ice cream. Letting it cool slightly gives you that beautiful crackly shell.
Step 5: Decorate and Serve
Pour the magic shell over the frozen cake, letting it drip naturally down the sides. Quickly top with the reserved blueberry muffins or muffin crumbs, then scatter over the fresh blueberries.
Let the cake sit for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing. Run a sharp knife under warm water and wipe it dry between cuts for the cleanest slices.
Entertaining Tip: I love bringing this out at the end of a summer dinner. You can make the entire cake ahead of time, then decorate it just before serving. It feels special, but it’s actually one of the easiest desserts to pull together.
Blueberry Muffin Ice Cream Cake
Servings: 10
Calories Per Serving: 545 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
The Crust
- 8 full sheets graham crackers
- 8 gingersnap cookies
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 7 tablespoons salted butter, melted
The Cake
- 3 pints vanilla ice cream slightly softened
- 1 jar (12 to 16 ounce) blueberry jam
- 12 blueberry muffins
- 6 ounces white chocolate, chopped
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- fresh or frozen blueberries for the top
Instructions
- 1. Line a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 350° F.2. Mix crust ingredients and press into a 9-inch pie plate. Bake for 10 minutes.3. Spread half the ice cream over the crust. Dollop with half the blueberry jam and crumble 4 to 6 blueberry muffins over top, gently swirling the jam into the ice cream. Repeat with the remaining ice cream, jam, and muffins. Reserve 2-4 muffins for decorating.4. Cover and freeze for 4 hours, or until firm.5. Melt the white chocolate and coconut oil together in the microwave on 20-second intervals. Cool for 10 minutes, until pourable but not hot. Pour the magic shell over the frozen cake, letting it drip down the sides. Immediately top with the reserved muffin crumble and the blueberries. Slice and serve, or freeze until ready to enjoy.
This post was originally published on July 31, 2026
Please don’t waste your money on this. The texture was awful. The chocolate shell made it a mess to try and eat. Save your time and go to Dairy Queen.
Hi Dana,
Thanks for trying this cake and sharing your feedback, very sorry to hear it was not enjoyed!
I made this for a baby shower last weekend as well! This one allowed kids, so we needed something fun and delicious for everyone. Everyone loved it, adults and kids alike. Way more fun than just blueberry muffins alone. Thanks, Tieghan!
So awesome, Kiana! Thanks so much for choosing to make this cake, I’m so glad it was a hit!
My roommates and I made this after spotting it on your IG, and it was heavenly! We used a package of mini-muffins that came with 10 in the package, and a little extra ice cream to make up for the missing 2. Loved it!
Hey Amira,
Happy Thursday! Thank you so much for making this cake and sharing your feedback, love to hear it was enjoyed!
This one was a solid winner! Anything blueberry is good, but this was amazing. 😻
Hey Shelley,
Wonderful!! I am so glad to hear this recipe turned out for you, thanks for making it!
This cake was so perfect for a baby shower! Not a crumb remained in the pan! So, so good!
Yay! Love to hear this, Caroline! Thanks so much for choosing to make this cake.
Have a great Thursday!
Odd there’s another comment claiming this was “a mess” with no explanation. Seems to be retaliatory, and merely meant to counter positive reviews. It’s highly unlikely kids wouldn’t like this.
At any rate this cake was fantastic. My entire family loved it, and were super happy with the delicious combination of bluberry muffins, ice cream and that lovely magic shell. Another huge hit Tieghan!
Thanks so much, Wendy! I am so glad to hear this cake was enjoyed, I appreciate you making it and taking the time to comment!
I had such high hopes for this, given all the great reviews. It was a mess! My kids said it was the worst thing I’ve ever made. I followed the recipe exactly.
Very sorry to hear this, Jojo. If there is anything that I can help with, please let me know!
I also made this in a square pan with parchment paper, because that’s what I had to work with. It came out perfect. This method should work for anyone who doesn’t have a springform. I used Wegman’s Blueberry muffins, and since they’re quite big and sold in 4 packs, I only needed one package to make the ratios work.
This was the holy grail of dessert cakes. 😊
Hey Linda,
Awesome! Love to hear this recipe was a hit, thanks a bunch for making it and your feedback!
To help Sara (and maybe other readers) out, I had the same issue, no springform pan available, but a 9 X 9 metal pan. I lined the whole pan with an entire sheet of parchment paper (so the paper extended past the pan on all sides,) and prepared the cake on that. After I froze it entirely, I was able to lift the whole thing out, then place in onto a cutting board for slicing. Any leftover slices were wrapped individually and put back in the freezer. There wasn’t much left over – my family loved it. Like Maddie, my kids were heavy consumers. 😉
Thanks so much for sharing this, Robin! I’m sure it will be helpful for others:) And so glad to hear the cake was a hit!
Hi Tieghan! 🙂
I really want to try this recipe, but I don’t have a 9-inch springform pan. Would a 9×9-inch glass pan work? I know I wouldn’t be able to remove the whole cake in one piece from the pan but it wouldn’t mess anything up flavor or execution wise right?
Hey Sara,
Sure, that would be okay for you to use! Let me know if you try this cake, I hope you love it!
This was SO GOOD! The white chocolate topping was so nice with the blueberries. Now I just have to convince my kids to pace themselves with the consumption part. 😁
Thanks so much, Maddie! I appreciate you trying this cake and your comment. So glad it was a hit!
I’ve always loved ice cream cakes and this one was next-level awesome! 🤩
Hey Kaya,
Wonderful! I’m so glad to hear this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it!
Have the best week!
This is such a perfect summer dessert! It was fun and easy to make.
Thanks so much, Carmen! Love to hear this recipe was enjoyed, I appreciate you giving it a try!
All my favorite things in one dessert! This was a “must-make”, and it was every bit as tasty as expected. ❤️
Hey Natalie,
Happy Sunday! I’m thrilled to hear this recipe was a hit, thanks a lot for making it!
We made this recipe for friends this weekend and it was so good!! I enjoyed the taste of absolutely everything. We didn’t even add the chocolate top, although I’m sure that would have made it even more amazing, which is hard to believe. I will definitely make this recipe again, and I want to experiment with the crust. For some reason my crust was very chewy and a little hard. I might try baking it for a little less time or even trying a cheesecake crust made from flour.
Yay!! Thanks so much, Melissa! I appreciate you trying this cake and sharing your feedback!
Have a great Sunday!