Marmite & Cheese Cake

By now most of you know that we really like to mix sweet and salty. So, if you are also one of those who prefer a little more salt than sweet with your cuppa, this recipe is just the one for you.

My mum has a file with many recipes that she has collected over the years. This particular Marmite & Cheese Cake was in a women’s magazine of June 1991 and I make it often. It’s a fact that this cake becomes a favourite with everyone who tastes it for the first time.

Put it on the table:

If you have Marmite in your pantry, I can almost guarantee that you will also have the rest of the ingredients for this cake. Marmite’s best substitute is Vegemite which is available in Australia. My mum once replaced Marmite with Bovril, but I still prefer Marmite.

Ingredients for Marmite & Cheese Cake

75ml butter

200ml sugar

1 egg, beaten

375ml cake flour

10ml baking powder

2ml salt

250ml milk

Topping:

125ml butter

10ml Marmite

125ml finely grated cheese

Beat butter, add sugar and mix well. Add egg and beat well. Sift dry ingredients and add alternately with the milk to the butter mixture.

Mix butter and sugar and add egg

Sift dry ingredients

Combine dry ingredients and milk with butter mixture

Spoon the batter into a greased baking dish and bake for 25 – 30 minutes in a preheated oven at 190°C/374°F.

Batter ready for the oven

After I put the cake in the oven, we got a visitor. Coco drops by our house often (and then usually gets something to eat and a bit of TLC). He lives not far from our house and often walks through the estate during the day. Everyone who lives here knows Coco and it’s always nice to see him when we’re at our beach house.

A daily visitor, Coco

Just before the cake came out of the oven, I melted the butter and Marmite together – you can either do this in a saucepan on the stove or in the microwave.

Grated cheese and melted Marmite & butter for the topping

Baked cake fresh from the oven

While the cake is still warm, prick it with a fork and spoon the hot Marmite and butter over the top and finish with the grated cheese. The cake is at its best when it is still slightly warm.

Finish the cake with melted Marmite, butter and grated cheese

While the cake was still warm, I served it with hot cups of coffee and tea – a delicious snack for a cold winter’s afternoon. And no, Coco left before the cake was finished … but I’m sure he’ll come and ask for a small piece early tomorrow morning.

Marmite & Cheese cake