How to Make Streusel (Crumb Topping) (2024)

FAQs

What is the streusel on crumb topping made of? ›

Streusel is a crumbly topping usually made with real butter, flour, and sugar.

Streusel is similar to crumb topping and the terms are often used interchangeably. Traditionally, the two have different ratios of the same ingredients, with streusel containing more flour, and crumb topping more sugar, so they offer a different texture and flavor on top of baked goods.

A pastry chef friend shared the technique. Instead of sprinkling the raw crumbs on top of the fruit, where they absorb the juices and turn a little mushy on their undersides, he spread them out in a pan and baked them separately, until crisp and cookielike.

A well-made crumb should be firm yet tender, and chewy, with big chunks—like granola. The best way to achieve this is to use cold cubed butter. Using room-temperature or melted butter will cause the topping to spread out and flatten when it bakes, rather than standing pert and perky.

Why is my streusel not crumbly? Often this happens if the crumb topping is over-mixed or if the butter was much too hot. Over-mixing will leave you with a pasty, batter-like mixture rather than the crumbly topping you are aiming for.

All you need to make a crumble topping is flour, sugar and butter. Rub cold cubes of butter into the flour using your finger tips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. You can stir ingredients such as oats and flaked almonds into the mixture to add some texture, if you like.

Apple crisp is a dessert made with a streusel topping. In the US, it is also called apple crumble, a word which refers to a different dessert in the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Ingredients usually include cooked apples, butter, sugar, flour, cinnamon, and often oats and brown sugar, ginger, and/or nutmeg.

Absolutely! I have included in the recipe card below the instructions on how to bake streusel topping alone. You can use this on top of a frosted cake, or even add it onto any recipe that uses streusel topping…the pre-baked streusel will make the topping extra crispy!

What is this? Flour - We need all-purpose flour for this recipe, but you can use bread or cake flour in a pinch. Old-fashioned oats - This is optional, and I typically only use it if I want to turn my streusel into a crisp topping. To add some in, substitute some of the flour for the oats.

Butter, which encourages both browning and crispness, is the magic ingredient in getting your topping just right, so follow the recipe instructions. But if you feel your topping is still too dry and crumbly, (even for a crumble) add a bit more melted butter, a tablespoon at a time.

Why put baking powder in crumble topping? ›

A crisp contains oats in the topping, while a crumble does not. Baking powder can also be added to a crumble topping (like it is here) to ensure it's extra light and tender.

The most common cause of hard crumble is using the wrong amount of butter. So, be sure to measure carefully! If you don't use enough, your crumble will be too hard. However, to fix it, just add melted butter one spoonful at a time over the mixture until it is a little moister and crumbles with ease.

Toss butter pats in dry ingredients, distributing them evenly throughout the bowl and fully coating each piece of butter. Using the pastry cutter and a "mashing" motion, begin to cut the butter pieces up in the flour. Continue until butter pieces are the desired size listed in your recipe (i.e. "pea-sized pieces").

Why does my streusel melt? You most likely didn't add enough flour. If you add too much butter or sugar, but not enough flour the topping will not bind together properly.

Make the crumb topping: Mix the brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt together in a medium bowl. Stir in the melted butter, then gently mix the flour using a fork. Keep the mixture as large crumbles, do not over-mix. If over-mixed, this will turn into a thick paste.

Step 4: Prepare the crumb topping

In a small bowl, combine the flour, sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon. Cut the cold butter into small cubes to make it easier to cut into the dry ingredients. Then, use a pastry cutter to cut in the cold butter until crumbly.

The term "streusel" is derived from the German word "Streusel," which translates to "something scattered or sprinkled." This name aptly characterizes streusel as a crumbly topping comprising flour, butter, and sugar that is scattered over various baked goods like muffins, breads, pies, and cakes.