Streusel Topping Recipe – Czech Drobenka | Cook Like Czechs (2024)

Delicious sheet cakes with crunchy streusel topping are so popular in the Czech Republic, Germany, and Poland; in fact in the whole of Central Europe! On sweet pastries, the sprinkles form the final layer that takes the dish to the next level. In this simple recipe, I will show you how we make the perfect topping in the Czech Republic.

First things first. What is actually streusel topping?

The streusel topping is a crumbly mixture made of flour, sugar, and butter. Prepared by simply mixing all the ingredients, the buttery crumb topping is sprinkled on the surface of fruit coffee cakes, traditional Czech kolaches, on top of your favorite muffins, quick bread, or any kind of sheet cake.

FUN FACT: The Czech name for streusel topping is "drobenka", whereas the Czech word "drobky" means crumbs. Other Czech words are "posypka" (sprinkles) and "žmolenka".

MY TIP: Use your crumb for this fantastic plum cake with poppy seeds (it tastes so good!)

➜ Ingredients

➜ Instructions

1. Put the flour and sugar in a large bowl.
2. Using a knife, carefully cut the butter into small cubes and add them to the dry ingredients.
3. Work all the ingredients together using your fingers until you have a sand-like mixture with firm, irregular lumps.

If you prepare the streusel in advance, put it in a bowl in the fridge to stay chilled. Sprinkle streusel on the cake just before baking.

Do you want a crunchy topping that stays that way the next day? Add an egg yolk to it when preparing. Then you'll need to add a little more flour and sugar to make the crumbs less dense.

My extra tip: Immediately after you take the streusel cake out of the oven, drizzle its surface with melted butter into which you have stirred two tablespoons of spiced rum.

➜ How to twist the streusel topping?

Here are some tips and tricks to help you perfect your streusel:

• Add ground oats that you have briefly toasted in a pan (chill them before using).
• Add a teaspoon of ground cinnamon to the flour mixture. A cinnamon streusel topping is especially good for fruit pies, for example, those made with plums or apples.
• Stir in the ground or finely chopped nuts; almonds, walnuts, or hazelnuts.
• Add crushed biscuits to the streusel: coconut biscuits, hazelnut biscuits, or any non-filled biscuits with your desired flavor. Crush the cookies with a rolling pin in a sturdy plastic bag or between two sheets of parchment paper.

➜ Leftover streusel

If you have any leftover topping, store it in an airtight container in the fridge. It will keep for about a week.

Streusel topping freezes perfectly. Spread it in a large bag in a thin layer and leave it in the freezer for about 20 minutes. Afterward, shake the crumbly topping in a bag or a freezer-safe container together and let it freeze completely.

Prepared this way, the crumbs won't stick each other into a compact mass, instead, the individual pieces will remain separate and the frozen streusel mixture can be used without any problems.

➜ Useful tips

• Use a pastry blender or pastry cutter to process the streusel topping; it can make your job easier and keep your hands clean.
• A food processor is not suitable for making European-style streusel. We want beautiful uneven crumbs, not a uniform sandy mass.
• Cakes with overripe fruit on top require more streusel topping because this fruit is juicy, and streusel absorbs the juice.

➜ FAQs

More sweet recipes:

• Cream cheese coffee cake
• Bublanina cake
• Fruit bread with chocolate glaze

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