Most people don't realize they can do something as precise as baking without the help of a recipe (but maybe that's because they don't know the origins of the pound cake). The name refers to any type of cake that uses one pound of each ingredient. That's why a traditional pound cake has the easiest cooking ratio — 1:1:1:1 (1 part egg, 1 part flour, 1 part sugar, and 1 part butter).