Even food writers loathe the thought of turning on the stove during these sweltering summer days. But as fall decor and jack-o’-lanterns take over retail storefronts — yes, already — fall baking ...

Alexandra is an associate editor on CNET's Performance Optimization team. She graduated from Marymount Manhattan College in New York City, and interned with CNET's Tech and News teams while in school.

I'm a former pastry cook, and I think cake mixes are a great low-effort but delicious dessert. To amp up a boxed mix and make it taste homemade, I'd add sprinkles, extra eggs, or extracts. You can ...