Lemon Myrtle and Wattleseed Cheesecake Recipe

Last updated 19 May 2020.

Looking for a special recipe with an Australian touch? This delicious Lemon Myrtle and Wattleseed Cheesecake Recipe is a definite winner, guaranteed to win at your next dinner party or event!

This recipe uses Australian bush tucker ingredients: Lemon Myrtle, Wattleseed and Macadamia for the topping (optional).

What is Lemon Myrtle?

Lemon Myrtle (Backhousia citriodora) is a native Australian tree growing naturally from Brisbane to Rockhampton in Queensland in a range of altitudes from 50 to over 800 m above sea level. The Sunshine Coast and Proserpine area are identified as main areas of natural strands.

Backhousia citriodora was named by Baron Ferdinand von Müller in 1853 after James Backhouse (1794-1869), an English nurseryman and keen botany collector. Backhouse was an early Quaker missionary who visited Australia in 1832-8, making observations of Australian flora and fauna as well as writing about Australian society at the time.

What is Wattleseed?

Wattleseed has to be the unsung hero of the Australian Native Food industry. The Acacias with their enormous diversity of species and forms cover the length and breadth of the Australian continent. Although not all Acacias are suitable for human consumption, they have been a mainstay in the diet of Indigenous Australians for thousands of years. The wattle flower is the well known emblem of Australia, and is represented in the green and gold worn by Australian athletes. (Source Taste Australia Bushfood)

Lemon Myrtle and Wattleseed Cheesecake Recipe

Ingredients:

(makes approx. 36 individual cheesecakes)

• 39 Biscuits – crushed (I prefer chocolate chip biscuits)
• 3 Teaspoons Wattleseed
• 190g melted butter
• 1 Kg Cream Cheese (I use Philadelphia)
• 600ml Sour Cream
• 1 ½ cup Caster Sugar
• ½ cup Freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 6 Teaspoons gelatine dissolved in ½ cup hot water (use a
• 4 Teaspoons Lemon Myrtle
• Zest of 1 lemon
• You will need individual patty pans (they sell very nice ones at the dollar store).

Method:

1. Combine biscuit crumbs, wattleseed and melted butter in a bowl and mix together with wooden spoon. The mixture should be ‘crumby’ and not too gooey or too dry. You need to be able to press the mixture down easily but it should stick together. (You can now get the butter, cream cheese and sour cream out of the fridge so that it is ready for step 3).
2. Divide the biscuit mixture evenly into patty pans. Press down firmly to form a ‘base’.  I use a bent teaspoon to press the base down evenly. Now refrigerate while prepping the rest.
3. Bring all other ingredients (except gelatine mix) to room temperature. Mix together and beat with electric mixer (I use a kitchenaid) until smooth. When you first mix the cream cheese together, the mixture will look a bit lumpy but you need to keep mixing it until a ‘smooth’ creamy texture occurs. (approx. 6 mins or so).
4. Don’t forget to prep the gelatine mix and poor this in the mixture. This gelatine mix can get quite lumpy, so I use a flour sift to pour the mixture through so that NO lumps end up in my cheesecake mixture.
5. Now pour mixture over bases. I use a piping bag to evenly divide the mixture and to create a ‘nice look’ with a little dollop on the top – however you can simply ‘spoon’ the mixture into the bases.
6. Now freeze the cheesecakes until set (or refrigerate if you’re going to serve them straight away).
7. Optional: top with macadamia nuts or kiwi fruit or berries if desired.