Хотя кекс и оказался вкусным, я всё равно думаю о том чизкейке из булочной.

This и is a particle, not the normal and.

In this pattern, хотя ... и ... adds emphasis to a contrast:

• Хотя кекс оказался вкусным... = Although the cake turned out to be tasty...
• Хотя кекс и оказался вкусным... = Although the cake did turn out to be tasty...

It makes the concessive idea stronger: yes, that is true, but despite that...

You will often see this with хотя:

• Хотя он и устал, он продолжал работать.
• Хотя было и поздно, мы не ушли.

So here, the и helps set up the contrast with я всё равно думаю...

Оказаться means to turn out to be.

So:

• кекс был вкусным = the cake was tasty
• кекс оказался вкусным = the cake turned out to be tasty

The second version suggests there was some result, discovery, or perhaps mild surprise. Maybe the speaker did not expect much from the cake, but it ended up being good.

This verb is very common in Russian when something becomes clear afterward:

• Фильм оказался интересным. = The film turned out to be interesting.
• Он оказался прав. = He turned out to be right.

Because after оказаться, the predicate adjective is commonly put in the instrumental case.

So:

• оказался вкусным
• стал известным
• был хорошим (also possible in many contexts)

This is a standard pattern with verbs like:

• быть
• стать
• оказаться
• казаться

So вкусным is the instrumental singular masculine/neuter form of вкусный.

A learner can think of it as: after оказаться, Russian often uses the adjective in instrumental when describing what something/someone turned out to be.

Всё равно means something like all the same, anyway, or still.

In this sentence, it means:

• even though the cupcake/cake was tasty,
• I still keep thinking about that cheesecake.

So it marks that the second idea remains true despite the first one.

Compare:

• Он извинился, но мне всё равно обидно. = He apologized, but I still feel hurt.
• Было холодно, но мы всё равно пошли гулять. = It was cold, but we went for a walk anyway.

Here it works very naturally with хотя:

• Although X, I still Y.

After the preposition о meaning about, Russian uses the prepositional case.

So:

• о чизкейке = about the cheesecake
• о том чизкейке = about that cheesecake

Both words change:

• тот → том
• чизкейк → чизкейке

This is why you do not see о тот чизкейк.

A few more examples:

• о книге = about the book
• об этом фильме = about this film
• о хорошем друге = about a good friend

Том means that, so it points to a specific cheesecake already known in the situation.

Compare:

• Я думаю о чизкейке. = I’m thinking about cheesecake / a cheesecake.
• Я думаю о том чизкейке. = I’m thinking about that cheesecake.

So том makes it more specific and vivid. The speaker is not thinking about cheesecake in general, but about one particular cheesecake.

The preposition из means from/out of, and it requires the genitive case.

So:

• булочная → булочной
• из булочной = from the bakery

This phrase describes where the cheesecake is from:

• тот чизкейк из булочной = that cheesecake from the bakery

A few similar examples:

• из магазина = from the shop
• из ресторана = from the restaurant
• из пекарни = from the bakery

Both can relate to a bakery, but they are not always exactly the same in feeling.

• пекарня often means a place where bread or pastries are baked, and it can also mean the bakery as a business or production place.
• булочная traditionally means a bread shop or bakery shop, especially one selling baked goods.

In modern usage, there can be overlap, and in many translations both may simply be bakery. In this sentence, из булочной suggests from the bakery shop.

Because Хотя кекс и оказался вкусным is a subordinate clause introduced by хотя (although).

Russian normally separates this kind of clause with a comma:

• Хотя..., ...
• ..., хотя...

So:

• Хотя кекс и оказался вкусным, я всё равно думаю...

This is similar to English punctuation with although clauses.

Yes, Russian word order is flexible, but different orders change the emphasis.

The given version is very natural:

• Хотя кекс и оказался вкусным, я всё равно думаю о том чизкейке из булочной.

You could also say:

• Я всё равно думаю о том чизкейке из булочной, хотя кекс и оказался вкусным.

That version puts the main point first: I’m still thinking about that cheesecake...

You can also move small elements for emphasis, but not every change sounds equally natural. For example, всё равно is usually kept close to the main verb or the part it modifies.

Not always.

Russian кекс often refers to a baked sweet like a loaf cake, muffin-like cake, or something closer to a dense sweet bake than a large frosted celebration cake.

Depending on context, English translations might be:

• cake
• cupcake
• muffin
• loaf cake

So a learner should not assume a perfect one-to-one match. The exact image depends on context.

Yes. That would also be correct.

The difference is nuance:

• был вкусным = was tasty
• оказался вкусным = turned out to be tasty

Оказался adds the idea of discovery or result. It sounds a bit more expressive here, as if the speaker admits the cake was better than expected.

So both are possible, but оказался is more specific.

Because the speaker is expressing a current mental state: I am thinking or I keep thinking about that cheesecake now.

Russian present tense often covers both:

• a simple present idea
• an ongoing current thought or action

So я думаю о том чизкейке can mean:

• I’m thinking about that cheesecake
• I keep thinking about that cheesecake

With всё равно, it strongly suggests persistence:

• despite the tasty cake, the speaker’s mind is still on the cheesecake.