Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease and flour a 9" square pan.
For the batter - Mix together sugar, shortening and egg until smooth, then stir in the milk.
Combine flour, baking power and salt and then add to the wet ingredients and blend.
Spread batter into to the prepared pan.
For the topping - Combine the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, butter and nuts and sprinkle on top of the batter.
Bake for 25-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Notes
My mom's recipe notes, splitting the batter in half and layering with streusel but there isn't really enough batter to do that, so I just put it all on top.