Crutchfield's Apple Coffee Cake

I found this recipe in my mother's recipe box, cut from a bag of Crutchfield's unbleached flour.  I don't know the age of the recipe, but it's old enough that the company doesn't exist anymore.  I made a few modifications (in italics and strikeout) because it seemed a little plain.

2 1½ cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
1 cup minus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons molasses
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 large apple, pared and sliced

Topping
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts)

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Grease a 10-inch tube or 9-inch square pan.  Combine topping ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.  Sift together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.  In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar; add the molasses and vanilla and beat to combine.  Add the eggs one at a time and beat until fluffy.  Add the flour mixture alternately with the sour cream in two batches and beat until fully blended.  Spread half the batter in the prepared pan and arrange the apple slices on top; sprinkle with half the topping.  Add the rest of the batter and sprinkle with the remaining topping.  Bake for 40 to 45 minutes.  Cool in the pan for 30 minutes; serve warm.

I halved the recipe and baked it in a 7-inch cake pan for 35 minutes, but it was still a little underdone in the center. My mother's notes read, "Rather than slicing apple, chopped finely and mix into half topping before spreading between layers."   I still sliced the apple, but I did mix it with the topping--- it seemed like a good idea to flavor the apples.  (I absent-mindedly mixed all the topping with the apples.  I realized my mistake immediately, so I picked out a bunch of nut pieces and sprinkled those on the top, along with a little brown sugar.  The brown sugar didn't help with the decor at all.) However, because I don't pare apples, it would be better to chop them so it's easier to cut cleanly.

Conclusion:  It was good, but I found it a little dull and flat tasting, and quite sweet.  There was also the faint taste of baking soda.  I think my changes helped, but it would have benefited from a little more salt, especially in the apple mixture, to spriten it up (is that a word?) and less sugar. The cake was also very soft.

Recipe:  Apple Cream Coffee Cake via Crutchfield's