The Cupcake Placebo Effect

I gave Bride and Groom 3.0 and roommate Davin four pound cake cupcakes to taste. I told them that there was a slight difference between the cupcakes, but didn't tell them what it was. I will, however, tell you:

Solid yellow wrapper = Land O' Lakes Butter / Cold Oven
Striped yellow wrapper = Land O' Lakes Butter / Warm Oven
Solid blue wrapper = Challenge Butter / Cold Oven
Striped blue wrapper = Challenge Butter /Warm Oven

All four cupcakes had the EXACT SAME FROSTING!

Watch as the tasting trio spend the whole video talking about frosting differences.



I wanted to scream at the screen: "It's the same frosting, people!!!" The power of suggestion is amazing!

Unlike my tasters who tasted the cupcakes without the frosting (who all preferred the cold oven technique), Bride and Groom 3.0 and Davin used the imagined difference in the frosting to pick their favorites and ended up with different selections. I guess if I do end up making pound cake cupcakes for their wedding, there is no need to take the full hour to bake them the cold oven way - good to know.