I can see some of you screwing up your faces at the mere title of this recipe. All I can say is ‘don’t judge it until you’ve tried it’.

As we know, salt brings out the sweetness in food, and this works the same way: the salty Vegemite enhances the sweetness of the cheesecake.

I also find the yeast in the Vegemite helps the cake to rise better when baking, which yields an airier texture. Are you convinced yet?

Ingredients

Base

250g plain sweet biscuits
150g unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons caster sugar

Cheesecake

500g cream cheese, softened
220g sugar
3 large eggs
250ml thickened cream
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons vegemite yeast extract
Vegemite chocolate ganache

Ganache

250g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
150ml thickened cream
1 tablespoon vegemite yeast extract

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line the base of a 24 cm springform cake tin with baking paper.

Mix together the ingredients for the crust, then tip the mixture into the prepared tin and gently press the crumbs evenly over the base and about 5 cm up the side. Place in the refrigerator to set.

To make the cheesecake, beat the cream cheese and sugar using an electric mixer until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, making sure each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next. Add the cream, lemon juice and Vegemite, and beat until smooth and creamy.

Pour the mixture into the prepared crust, tap the tin gently on the bench top to get rid of any air bubbles and level the surface. Wrap the bottom and side of the tin in foil, then place it in a 4 cm deep baking dish. Pour boiling water into the baking dish until the water reaches halfway up the side of the cake tin. Make sure there are no tears or holes in the foil; if so, the water may seep into the tin and you’ll end up with a soggy crust base.

Bake the cheesecake in the oven for 1 hour. It should be just set but still wobbly in the centre. Turn the oven off, and let it cool in the oven for at least an hour. This will allow the cake to finish cooking and prevent cracking on top. Take it out and let it finish cooling on the bench top if it’s still warm. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight to set.

To make the Vegemite chocolate ganache, put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream in a saucepan until boiling point, then quickly remove from the heat and pour over the chocolate. Let the chocolate soften for a minute, then stir until the chocolate has melted. Add the Vegemite and stir to mix well. Pour the chocolate ganache over the cheesecake, tilting the cheesecake in a circular motion to spread the ganache evenly. Cut into small slices and serve.

This recipe appears courtesy of Cooked.com.au.

This recipe first appeared in Have You Eaten? by Billy Law.