Lifetime Upper Arlington resident Suzanne Meyers loves to cook. Her passion stems from her youth at her mother Louise’s side cooking in the kitchen, as well as the family’s Lebanese heritage. Meyers and her sister Lisa Khourie grew up in the family kitchen, and her expertise is evident from the moment you enter her home, redolent with the aromas of pumpkin, chocolate and cinnamon.

Meyers says the holidays are a true family affair, and she makes a number of spectacular dishes just for these special occasions. Lebanese culture values family and tradition, and sister Lisa traditionally has the entire family for Thanksgiving, while Meyers is the hostess for Christmas dinner. A typical Karam family gathering on these holidays totals around 40 people, including aunts, uncles and “all the cousins.”

Fortunately, the sisters only prepare the main dishes, and every guest brings a favorite dish to add to the feast. A typical Christmas table will have a multi-cultural flair. Kibbee, a Lebanese meat dish, is always a staple, as is roast turkey with all the trimmings, a ham and some kind of Italian-influenced pasta dish. Lisa is equally enthusiastic about cooking, and usually brings roasted jalapeños stuffed with cream cheese and wrapped in bacon or stuffed grape leaves.

Raising four children, Meyers puts a premium on simplicity, but she does it with elegance. Taking a cue from Food Network personality Sandra Lee and her concept of semi-homemade, Meyers found a cookbook, The Cake Doctor, that uses store bought cake mixes as a base. She then adds custom touches such as fresh ingredients to turn out a masterpiece in minimum time.

Meyers shares her recipes for Pumpkin Pie Crumble Cake and Natalie’s Chocolate Café au Lait Cake, both from the aforementioned cookbook.

Suzanne Meyers Pumpkin Pie Crumble Cake (serves 18-20):

Solid vegetable shortening for greasing pan
Flour for dusting pan
1 package (18.25 ounces) plain yellow cake mix
8 tablespoons (one stick) butter or margarine
4 large eggs
2 cans (15 ounces each) pumpkin
1 can (5 ounces) evaporated milk
1¼ cup sugar (divided)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter or margarine, chilled
1 cup chopped pecans

Place rack in center of oven, and preheat to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 13-by-9-inch baking pan with shortening, then dust with flour, shaking out excess. Set pan aside.

Measure 1 cup of cake mix and reserve for topping. Place remaining cake mix, butter and one egg in large mixing bowl and blend with mixer on low speed until combined. Press this batter over the bottom of prepared pan so it reaches all sides. Set pan aside.

Place pumpkin, evaporated milk, 1 cup sugar, remaining three eggs and cinnamon in same large mixing bowl used to prepare the batter (do not wash batter out), blend until combined at low speed. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat until mixture lightens in color and texture, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour this filling over batter in pan, spreading to all sides. Set pan aside.

Place remaining ¼ cup sugar, chilled butter or margarine and reserved cake mix in a clean mixing bowl, beat at low speed just until combined and crumbly. Stir in pecans until evenly distributed, then spread this topping over the filling in the pan. Place pan in oven.

Bake until center no longer jiggles when you shake the pan, and pecans on top have browned (about 75 minutes). Remove pan from oven and let cool 20 minutes prior to serving.

Natalie’s Chocolate Café au Lait Cake (serves 16)

Cake:
Solid vegetable shortening for greasing pan
Flour for dusting pan
8 tablespoons (one stick) margarine
1½ cups graham cracker crumbs
1 cups semisweet chocolate chips
½ cup chopped walnuts
1 package (18.25 ounces) plain dark chocolate fudge or devil’s food cake mix
1 1/3 cup water
½ cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs

Whipped cream frosting:
1½ cup heavy (whipping) cream
1 tablespoon instant coffee powder
1/3 cup sifted confectioner’s sugar

Place rack in center of oven, preheat to 350 degrees. Generously grease two 9-inch round cake pans with shortening, dust with flour and set aside.

Place a large mixing bowl and beaters in the refrigerator to chill.

Place margarine in a medium sauce pan over low heat until melted; fold in graham cracker crumbs and let cool for about 15 minutes. Fold in chocolate chips and walnuts and set aside.

Place cake mix, water, oil and eggs in large mixing bowl; blend with mixer on low speed 1 minute. Stop mixing and scrape down sides of bowl with spatula. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat two minutes, scraping sides of bowl as needed. Divide batter equally between prepared cake pans; sprinkle chocolate chip-walnut mixture evenly over batter, and lightly press mixture into batter; place pans in oven and bake until cake springs back when lightly pressed, 32 to 35 minutes. Remove pans from oven and cool on racks 30 minutes. Run a knife around edges of cake pans and invert each onto rack, then invert again so that topping side is up.

For frosting, remove chilled bowl from refrigerator, pour cream into bowl and beat on high until thickened, about 1 minute. Add coffee powder and confectioners’ sugar, continue beating on high until cream forms stiff peaks, 1 ½ to 2 minutes longer.

Place one cake layer on serving plate, spread top with half of frosting; place second layer on top of first, frost sides with remaining frosting, do not frost top of cake. Chill cake until ready to serve.