Streusel Versus Strudel

While they sound really similar, streusel and strudel are two very different recipes from German baking. Streusel is a sweet & crunchy topping sprinkled on top of bakes like cakes, muffins, and bars. Strudel on the other hand is its own recipe - it's made with thin dough and filled with fruit like apples.

While they are equally delicious, there are many differences between the two!

Growing up in Germany, we enjoyed both strudel and desserts with streusel. Both are common in German bakeries and confectionaries. And honestly, picking a favorite between strudel and streusel would be like picking a favorite child... it's just not possible!

What is Streusel?

Streusel is a sweet, crumbly topping made from flour, sugar, and butter. It's often seasoned with warm baking spices like cinnamon. And you can add nuts like sliced almonds for extra crunch.

Originating from Germany, streusel has become a beloved component in many baked goods. It's a common topping on coffee cakes, muffins, and fruit crisps.

A streusel topping is a great way to level-up your baked goods. Its buttery richness and crispy texture provides a super satisfying contrast to the softness of the baked goods that it's sprinkled on.

Best of all, it only takes a few minutes to make! Just mix the ingredients in a bowl with a fork or your hands. Sprinkle it onto an unbaked dessert like cake batter, then bake it all at once for an elevated dessert.

Tips for Making Streusel

After making streusel literally dozens of times and testing different methods and recipes, below are some essential tips I always follow to make the perfect streusel.

1. Use Softened Butter

While some streusel recipes call for cold butter, I find room temperature butter is much easier to incorporate into the mixture. It distributes the fat from butter more evenly, and you can avoid any large clumps.

2. Don't Overmix

Stop mixing the ingredients as soon as the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. It should look like half dry sand, half crumbly cookie dough.
Overmixing can result in a dense streusel that tastes kind of cakey and "gluey".

3. Keep the Dry to Wet Ratio

I've tried substituting brown sugar for granulated sugar in streusel without adjusting anything else, and there was way too much moisture in the streusel, so it ended up really dense.
If you add moisture from brown sugar, vanilla extract, etc. then you'll need to add more flour to balance it.

Recipes with Streusel

1. Blitzkuchen - German Lightning Cake

This one-bowl quick coffee cake is so simple and quick to make! In fact, it's called German lightning cake or Blitzkuchen because it's ready in under an hour! The light and fluffy cake topped with crunchy brown sugar streusel is the the perfect treat for breakfast, an afternoon snack, or dessert!

2. Mohnkuchen - German Poppy Seed Cake

This German poppy seed cake (called Mohnkuchen) is what I like to call a one-layer, layer-cake. It's made of a buttery cake base topped with a creamy poppy seed filling and sweet streusel before it's baked. This way you get impressive layers in your cake, without having to cut and assemble anything!

3. Kirschstreuselkuchen German Almond Cherry Coffee Cake

This almond cherry coffee cake is unique because it cooks fresh cherries with the pits in order to enhance the almond flavor. And almond extract in the cake batter along with sliced almonds in the streusel make this a super delicious nutty and fruity cake!

4. Apfelmuskuchen - German Applesauce Cake

This German applesauce cake is incredibly moist and light. The layer of applesauce in the middle adds a warm spiced flavor and a creamy texture. And I've tested and tweaked this recipe multiple times to make sure you bake a foolproof Apfelmuskuchen every time!

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What is Strudel?

Strudel is a delicious pastry originally from Austria and Germany. It's made with thin, flaky pastry dough that's filled with a sweet or savory filling. My great-grandma made a delicious apple strudel (or Apfelstrudel) from scratch.

Besides apples, other common fillings in strudel include nuts, cheese or quark, and other fresh or dried fruit.

Strudel Pastry

The pastry itself is paper-thin and crispy, thanks to the traditional technique of stretching the dough until it's nearly transparent. This results in layers of delicate pastry brushed with melted butter that shatter upon each bite.

You can make the strudel pastry at home from scratch (called Strudelteig), or you can use store bought phyllo dough.

Strudel Filling

Authentic German apple strudel filling is made with thinly sliced apples, raisins, sugar, cinnamon, and a little lemon juice. You could also add almonds for crunchy texture.

There are other types of strudel including savory fillings with meat, rice, vegetables, mushrooms, and cheese. Different sweet fillings include cream cheese or quark, cherries, berries, nuts, and chocolate.

Tips for Making Apple Strudel

I learned how to make German strudel based on my Grandpa's fond memories of his mom's cherished recipe. Below are my tips to bake the perfect strudel!

1. Roll and Stretch the Dough Super Thin

If you're making the strudel dough from scratch, use a rolling pin to roll it as thinly as possible. Then remove any jewelry and gently drag your knuckles under the dough towards the edges to stretch it.

My great-Grandma tested if her dough was thin enough by placing a newspaper under it. If she could read through the dough, it was thin enough!

2. Knead the Dough For 8 Minutes

If you're making Strudelteig at home, knead the dough for at least 8 minutes to develop a lot of gluten, which will help the dough become stretchy and less likely to tear.

Pro Tip: If you’re kneading the dough by hand and the gluten in the dough seizes up (it feels really tense and hard to knead) throw the dough ball down on your work surface a few times from about one foot in the air. This will help relax the gluten so you can continue kneading.

3. Slice the Apples Thinly

My great-Grandma would spend so much time slicing her apples paper-thin. The thinner the apple slices are cut, then the faster they'll cook. Therefore they'll be nice and soft by the time your strudel is baked!

You can use a mandolin, but I usually just use a sharp kitchen knife and take my time to make the apple slices thin and even.

Strudel Recipes

1. Apfelstrudel - Authentic German Apple Strudel

This authentic German apple strudel is based on my great-grandma's recipe. There are alternating layers of apple and pastry, instead of heaping all the filling into one pile. And while homemade strudel dough may seem intimidating, I have included tons of helpful tips in this post for a foolproof & impressive dessert!

2. Mini Apple Strudels

These mini apple strudel are made with phyllo dough for super thin, flaky layers. Thinly sliced apples along with raisins and chopped nuts make these easy pastries taste as close as possible to my great-Grandma's traditional Apfelstrudel.

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