Inspired by Zhang v R [2019] NZCA 507 and Orchard v R [2019] NZCA 529.
Band Four chocolate cake
As a starting point it serves 8-10.
Ingredients
The ingredients available are any of the following. Before you start be sure to assess not only the presence of these ingredients but also to evaluate their nature and quality.
175 grams of butter (softened depending on personal circumstances)
1 and three quarter cups of sugar in cases of particular aggravation
1 tsp vanilla extract
Up to 3 eggs
2 cups of flour, where the flour is of at least 60% purity
No more than half a cup of cocoa, unless more is required
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup of milk
Method
Preheat the oven to up to 180 degrees celsius, but this should not be seen as an upper limit and in appropriate cases this could go higher.
Place the butter, sugar, vanilla in a large clean mixing bowl. Cream them together but ensure you continue to distinguish between them.
Add the eggs one at a time, being careful to avoid double-counting, then mix.
Sift in the flour and cocoa to the extent they apply. This will be determined primarily by reference to their weight.
Add the baking powder taking care to avoid excessive uplift.
Pour in the milk and stir gently. Then, step back and compare the mixture to other cakes you have baked in the past.
The mixture should still have a runny consistency but consistency is not an absolute end: the task remains an evaluative exercise.
Pour into a 30 centimetre tin. Some overlap at the margins is to be expected.
Place in oven and bake for up to half an hour, though consider whether it should be released from the ten minute mark onwards.
Remember it is the end result that matters and not any individual step or ingredient.
Strictly obiter 