How do you eat a ...

[minionofmidas]

Those are Kreppel.

[minionofmidas]

Here's the full list of German names for the stuff...

Berliner: NRW, Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg (but not Lower Pomerania), most of Rhineland-Pfalz, much of Baden, Switzerland
Kreppel: Hesse, Lower Franconia, parts of Rhineland-Pfalz, half of Thuringia
Pfannkuchen (which everywhere else means a pancake): Former GDR except Mecklenburg and half of Thuringia, West Berlin
Krapfen: Württemberg, Bavaria except Lower Franconia, Austria
Fastnachtskuchen: parts of Baden

Kreppel is a diminutive of Krapfen, and Berliner and Pfannkuchen are both shortened from an older designation as Berliner Pfannkuchen. What's behind this is of course something ancient and South German becoming popular (and more regularized) in Berlin during the peak of its industrial expansion and central importance, then getting introduced to the rest of the country from there.

[minionofmidas]

The cream filled are so much better than the fruity ones! May as well just eat a jar of strawberry jam Never heard the term "Bismarck." Do the Germans use that term as well?

I listed all the words we use (for the standard thing). Did you see that term there? A Bismarck is a herring. Not a red one, either.

You do get "Donuts" in Germany nowadays, but that's probably Homer Simpson's fault. They are donut-shaped. You may also get Brezel- or Schnecke-shaped pastries of Krapfen/donut dough - I would consider Krapfen to be the generic German term, Berliner or Kreppel clearly refer to the most common round jelly-filled type.