Apple Coffeecake

From Julie Allen, via the "Sailor's Delight" WHOI cookbook.

½ c. walnuts
2 tsp. cinnamon
1½ c. sugar, divided
½ c. butter
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 c. sour cream
2 apples, peeled and sliced

Mix nuts, cinnamon, and ¾ cup sugar in small bowl. Mix butter, remaining sugar, eggs and vanilla in a separate bowl. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to batter. Beat in sour cream. Spread half of batter in a greased 9-inch tube pan or bundt pan. Arrange sliced apples on top of batter. Cover with nut mixture and then the rest of the batter. Bake 40 minutes at 375 degrees.

I made this a couple of weeks ago and I am just getting around to posting it; I remember thinking that it was good, but I had some ideas for improvements. I have, naturally, now forgotten them. Darn. The only thing I remembered is that I substituted pecans for walnuts, and liked that. I also melted the butter, like in a muffin recipe, instead of creaming butter and sugar; that also worked well, though I am not sure if it's what was intended. I made it in a silicon bundt pan and wasn't sure it would hold together, what with the thick apple layer, but it did nicely. I think one main thing was that the baking time was really different than what the recipe said. Wish I remembered how.