Light and fluffy Cheese muffins with a sweet marmite glaze

Returning to our holiday retreat this year was another soul cleansing experience. The West Coast of South Africa offers tranquility and beauty in abundance, one of many reasons we keep going back to the very same place. The guesthouse we stayed at Absolute Beach, is situated on the shore of Stompneusbaai just past St Helena Bay off the West Coast. The co-owners of the guesthouse Marina and Duncan are incredibly hospitable and generously share their wealth of knowledge of where to go and what to do in the surrounding areas. The area is as rural as can get and lucky for us they had a local supermarket further out of town.
 Having only left almost three weeks ago, I’m dreaming of going back soon! What makes this decision that much more easier are the amazing cheese muffins with a sweet marmite glaze that Marina effortlessly whipped up for us at brekkie. She gave me a hint of what was in her recipe, and with that in mind I needed to recreate these fluffy umami morsels. 

Cheese muffins with a sweet marmite glaze. 
Ingredients:

For the muffins

-375g Self raising flour 

-125ml milk 

-125ml olive oil 

-pinch of dried herbs of your choice 

-2 eggs lightly beaten 

-150g grated Gouda cheese 

-50g grated Grana Padano 
Sweet marmite glaze

-1 heaped tablespoon of Marmite 

-2 tablespoons of water 

-2tablespoons of golden syrup
Method: 

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees C.

In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, eggs, olive oil, milk and grated cheese, add half of the Grana Padano to this mixture. With a butter knife, stir the ingredients until just mixed through. In a greased muffin tray, divide the batter into the tray, sprinkle over the rest of the Grana Padano and bake for 20 minutes. Whilst the muffins are baking, mix the glaze ingredients into a small bowl and place in a microwave for 20-30 seconds(this step can be done over the stove in a small saucepan) once the muffins have been cooled, spoon over the glaze. 

Marmite is definitely an acquired taste, like their advertising campaign suggests “you either love it or you don’t”. A simple marmite toastie is just my kind of quick snack chock full of umami flavour! The muffins don’t quite taste exactly like Marina’s but they are my take on a memory.