Better to use weight or unit measurements?

I always prefer to bake by weight measures, because they are more accurate. Your cup of flour will probably not contain exactly the same amount as mine, or the recipe authors- and in baking those small differences can be important to the final product. I'm not sure what you mean about underutilizing the springform pan either. The directions tell you to remove the sides and then flip over onto a rack to cool. It also instructs you to remove the bottom while the cake is still warm. I imagine the reason for not turning it out onto a plate is because the cooling cake will sweat as it cools- and the wire allows it to evaporate. It can't do that from a solid plate bottom. Excess retained moisture can also make for a gummy cake near the bottom portion as well as encourages it to stick to the plate when you try to cut and serve it. Also keep in mind a cake is not "quite" baked when you first remove it from the oven. If you get too radical in the handling, you can cause it to partially collapse - which is also why you give it five minutes in the pan after removing from the oven, and before you remove the supporting sides. Having said all this though, if you prefer to transfer the cake directly to a serving plate to finish cooling- you certainly can. It's not as if there are cake police out there who will seek you out and seize your cake.