Question:
Why doesn't pound cake weigh a pound?
Answer:
Experts say that the dish was traditionally made with a pound of flour, a pound of butter, and a pound of sugar. (Wouldn't that make it a three-pound cake?)
Interestingly, that same concept explains the name of another dessert: cupcakes.
The original recipes called for a cup each of flour, butter, and sugar, not because they're baked in little paper cups.
Taken from: 2009 Page A Day Calendar (Workman Publishing)