Streusel

A crumbly topping of flour, sugar and butter, often with spices or nuts, scattered over muffins, coffee cakes and pies before baking.

Streusel: A coffee cake topped with a thick layer of crumbly cinnamon streusel, one piece cut
  • Fillings, creams, frostings and sauces

Also called: crumble topping

Streusel is made by rubbing cold butter into flour, sugar and cinnamon until it forms clumps, or by stirring melted butter into the dry ingredients for larger, crunchier clumps. Chilling it before use helps it keep its texture in the oven.

It comes from German baking, where Streuselkuchen is a sheet cake topped with streusel.

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Sources

Written by VanillaGoods in our own words from these sources. Last reviewed October 15, 2026.

  1. Streusel (Q1504300), Wikidata