A normal starting point in discussing cake balancing is old-fashioned pound cake. This cake is made of flour, sugar, butter, and eggs in equal parts. As bakers experimented with this basic recipe over the years, they reduced the quantities of sugar, fat, and eggs, and compensated by adding milk. This is the origin of the modern butter cake.
The general rules for balancing creaming-method cakes made with butter or regular shortening are as follows (all ingredient quantities are, of course, by weight):