7, 13, 42, 69: different cultures have deemed just about every number as “lucky” over the ages, but for my Honey Bunches of Money, no numeral quite brings peace like a dozen: I mean, it’s got zen right in the name! And when I gaze upon twelve doughnuts, mini bundt cakes, or fluid ounces of coffee mixed with Snickers* creamer**, I can’t help but feel my anxieties abdicate my abdomen to free up precious real estate for doughy delight.

That’s why, when the aptly named DJ Baby Bundt Cake on Twitter offered to mail me a dozen of his bakery Baked AF‘s new cereal-inspired confections, I couldn’t help but start raking my front yard into a zen garden whilst camped out catching koi in Animal Crossing, all in anticipation of the coming mail carrier, who would bestow a satchel of divine delicacy upon me like an unknowing bodhisattva.

*I don’t mess around when it coming to doughnut dunking.
*I also colloquially call this dense nectar “Thickers Coffee Creamer.”

Upon arrival, the descendant bundt cakes revealed themselves to be truly mini, with no greater diameter than a demure apple—making them a no-brainer morning trade-up for the crummy Red Delicious that’s been tumbling around the bottom of your bag like pulpy laundry.

As per Baked AF’s philosophy, these mini bundt cakes are both gluten free and keto approved, so those expecting an 100%-familiar doughnut or bundt cake experience are apt to find these things’ nuanced charms disarming if your palate isn’t prepared for something a little different. The cakes are dense and especially moist, as if they were pre-dunked in cereal milk—making my cup of Thickers erode through them with expediency—so they reminded me much more of cupcakes that were milled into wheels by ancient architects.

So while the base texture and flavor has a unique mouthfeel in its own right, I was mostly interested in providing bite-sized breakdowns of all four breakfastian flavors Baked AF has available. Starting from top left and moving clockwise above, we have:

Fruity Pebbles – This bundt cake does the best job of mimicking its prehistoric cereal forefather. The high-moisture of the squishy cake pairs naturally with the potent tropical vibes of Fruity Pebbles, as Pebbles are notoriously known for tasting best when milked into a single amalgamous mass of unbridled fruit(ish) sweetness. I’d recommend this flavor for anyone looking to get the most nostalgic experience out of their baby-cakin’ experience.  (8/10)

Cronch Berries – If Fruity Pebbles was the truest to its source material, this tasteful interpretation of Cap’n Crunch’s Crunch Berries takes perhaps the most creative leeway. While I certainly could peg subtle undertones of the Cap’n’s famously coconut-oil-broiled Berries, they were glazed over by more puckering pops of what I believe is blue raspberry. It’s a fun detour from familiarity, and I think it’s proof, if nothing else, that the Cap’n’s next move after Cotton Candy might need to be something a touch tarter. (7/10)

Cinnamon Toast Munch – If there’s any thematic outlier in the dozen, I’d say it’s this one. While Cinnamon Toast Munch bundt cakes are toothsome treats, I got much stronger brown sugar and streusel notes than anything distinctly Toast Crunchian—until General Mills releases a Coffee Cake Toast Crunch, that is. It should go without saying, then, that Cinnamon Toast Munch made the most logical sense to pair with candied and barred coffee. Because if I can’t add more cinnamon, I might as well go with pasteurized nougat. (6.5/10)

Cocoa Puff Puffs – Finishing strong, this veritable mudslide of chocolate flavors is the best of the brunch. The inoffensive cocoa powder eau de Cocoa Puff is definitely here, but it’s also bolstered and boosted by both a rich chocolate dough and many wonderful pops of real chocolate chip, which bring both unexpected intensity and variable mouthfeel to a cake that could have stopped two layers of fudginess earlier. If Fruity Pebbles is the right cake to start your day with, end it with Cocoa Puff Puffs—and hope that if Cap’n Crunch tries a blue raspberry cereal, we can get Sonny the Cuckoo to throw us a bone/a few handfuls of semi-sweet morsels. (8.5/10)

All in all, Baked AF’s Cereal Box bundt cakes are both charming novelties and a testament to their baker’s love of cereal. For those who’ve cut their teeth on real doughnuts, the texture may take some adjusting to, but anyone with specific dietary details can’t go wrong with these—it certainly beats crying outside a closed-down Krispy Kreme.

My thanks again to DJ BBC for sending me these to try. If you want to learn more about Baked AF or buy some of your own, you can visit them here. Or if you have any plans to overnight-ship me a keg-full of molten lava cake filling, just know I take my breakfasts around 9:30.