PERRYSBURG – As Thanksgiving fast approaches, many people will be planning to serve the traditional
pumpkin pie with dinner.
After reading today’s recipe from the kitchen of Marsha Meredith, there may be a better idea.
"This is a great alternative to pumpkin pie" she said. "For those who like pumpkin, they
don’t care whether its cake or pie."
Meredith first learned of this recipe when a former daughter-in-law who found it online brought the cake
to the family Thanksgiving meal.
"I’ve been making it ever since," Meredith said.
Because of the numerous layers she cautions serving plates need to be large to accommodate the tall cake.

Due to the richness of the filling she jokingly calls it a "horrible mixture" which "with
the caramel on top is much worse."
In addition to serving it at family holiday gatherings, she says she has served it to some of her bridge
clubs – and the reaction? "I’ve never had anybody turn it down."
Bridge is both entertaining and challenging to Meredith.
She began playing social or "party" bridge about 1971, a few years later, around 1975, she also
started the more serious duplicate style. In addition to her social group, she plays monthly in social
duplicate games, including one she said they refer to as the "Chitty-chatty" group.
Meredith says of that group of eight women, "We don’t play a lot of bridge, but we have a good
time."
She also enjoys her monthly group which meets at the Holiday Inn French Quarter where they buy lunch and
sit around the pool.
"Nobody has to clean their house and the meals are relatively inexpensive. It’s a good place to
play," she said.
In addition to the social games, Meredith also competes competitively as a member of the American
Contract Bridge League, where she earned the rank of Bronze Life Master in 2012. She is a regular at the
Perrysburg Duplicate Bridge Club on Tuesday evenings at the Perrysburg Senior Center, and also plays on
occasion at the Toledo Bridge Center.
Meredith earned her life master ranking while playing with Woodie Goddard at a regional tournament in
Dayton. The two also took a bridge cruise recently when to put it nicely, things did not go well with
the accommodations.
"What happens on the cruise stays on the cruise," she said when asked for details.
Despite the challenges she said it was exciting to hear a presentation from one of the top national
players, Mike Lawrence.
"He’s easy to listen to, very interesting and I even got to play against him once."
Meredith regularly plays with Barb Hall, a past Cook’s Corner subject who shared her Monkey Bread recipe.
Meredith also was previously featured when she shared her grilled pork roast recipe.
When Meredith is not holding cards or baking, you can find her proudly taking the role of grandma, with
11 grandchildren and one great-grandson, most of whom are within half an hour of her Perrysburg home.
Meredith and her late husband, George, had four sons.
She tries to attend the grandchildren’s athletic games including football, basketball and baseball games
as well as soccer matches. The one grandson is a member of the Perrysburg Yellow Jacket football team
whose playoff run ended Friday.
Don’t blame her for the loss as she did not attend that game. "Usually when I show up, they lose, I
didn’t want to jinx them."
As the grandchildren are getting older, there are fewer who attend "Camp Grandma’s."
Primarily for the granddaughters, she said, "We cook, sew and go swimming. "
One of her favorite hobbies in the spring and summer is tending her five fairy gardens. She spends the
winter making fairy houses for them.
She also enjoys knitting and sewing, One of her daughters-in-law is currently teaching her how to make
socks.
As diversity drives her life, it is not a surprise, she chose to share an alternative pumpkin feature for
the holiday.
Four Layer Pumpkin Cake
1 pkg. (2-layer size) yellow cake mix
1 can pumpkin (15 oz.) DIVIDED
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup oil
4 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (or 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp ground cloves, 1/4 tsp ginger) DIVIDED
1 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 8 oz. tub Cool Whip
1/4 cup caramel topping
1/4 cup pecans
PREHEAT oven to 350. Grease and flour 2 9-inch round cake pans. Beat cake mix, 1 cup of the pumpkin,
milk, oil, eggs, and 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice in large bowl. Beat with electric mixer on medium speed
until well blended. Pour evenly into prepared pans.
BAKE 28 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes.
Remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.
BEAT cream cheese in small bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until creamy. Add sugar, remaining
pumpkin, and remaining 1/2 tsp. pumpkin spice. (May need to add a little more cinnamon). Mix well and
fold in whipped topping.
CUT each layer horizontally in half when cake is completely cooled.* Stack layers on serving plate
spreading the cream cheese filling between each layer. (DO NOT frost top of cake) Just before serving
drizzle with caramel topping and sprinkle with pecans. Keep refrigerated.
* To slice the cakes in half, Marsha Meredith said, I use a cake splitter tool but dental floss pulled
through also works.
Serves 16