What Is Streusel?

How do you make a dessert better? By adding crumbly sweetness on top! Streusel is proof that a good thing can always be better! But I’m sure all the non-German people out there and the folks who don’t eat coffee cake on the regular are wondering what the heck I’m talking about. What is streusel? What is streusel topping made of? What does streusel mean? How do you pronounce streusel? Let’s get the skinny on streusel!

What is streusel?

Streusel is that crumbly goodness that is sprinkled on top of some baked goods and pastries. To be a little more specific, streusel is a crumb topping that is sprinkled on top of muffins, cakes, pies, and other baked goods in order to give some more texture. 

What does streusel mean? 

Streusel comes from the German word, streuen, which means to sprinkle or scatter. So we’re going pretty literal here with the word choice. Streusel is very popular on German and Austrian desserts like crumb cake and kuchen. In some bakeries you may see a rich pastry with a streusel topping referred to simply as a streusel. There’s also something called strudel. Don’t get confused. Strudel is something completely different from streusel. Strudel is a rolled pastry. Hey, that’s two pastry things that have similar sounding names! Get better at naming stuff, Germany!

How do you pronounce streusel?

So we know that streusel means to sprinkle or scatter, but how do you say it? Streusel is one of those words where you may read it and say it one way in your head and lock into saying it that way, then you use it in a sentence years later and find out you’ve been mispronouncing it the whole time. So, before you go and embarrass yourself, learn how to say streusel properly. Streusel is pronounced “STROO-sl.” If you want to be really authentic, you can say it with a German accent. That sounds like “STROO-sl (with German accent).”

What is streusel topping made of?

Streusel is delicious. But like all delicious things, you eventually have to stop eating it and ask what the heck is in this stuff. Typically, streusel is made with all the good stuff used in baking. Streusel topping is made of butter, sugar, and flour. Streusel can also contain a mix of spices and nuts. 

And streusel doesn’t always have to stay on top of your baked goods. You can make a pastry with a nice streusel filling. My favorite streusel recipe has sugar, flour, butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. I don’t even sprinkle it on top of anything. I just fill my pockets with it. That way, if I’m having a bad day, I can always cheer up quickly with a little pinch of my pocket streusel. Now that’s good pocket streusel!