The Dimpled Dumpling: A Cake for A Queen 🧁👸🏻 Bedtime Stories For Kids

[00:00:10] Hello and welcome back to Koala Moon, a podcast of original children's bedtime stories and meditations designed to make bedtime a dream. We got some fan mail earlier this week which every time I think about it, it makes my heart smile. It was from Emily, Clara's mum in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She told us that subscribing is well worth it as every night they listen together and drop right off to sleep.

[00:00:40] Isn't that the sweetest thing? Well, we thought so. So we decided to dedicate this coming story to you, Clara. You'll see the main character has your name. Oh, and there's an early happy birthday wish from Coco and I too for July when you'll be five. Woohoo! Now, tell me, tell me, how did you lovely bunch enjoy the debut of our brand new Coco Club series last night? Cappy and Tito in Playa del Moon.

[00:01:09] Please let me know in the comments, I can't wait to chat about it. Parents, if you haven't yet joined the Coco Club, we've launched a flash sale just for this. So your little one can access these brand new stories for just £4.99. The link is in the show notes and we really do think it's worth it. We think it's one of our best series yet. Before we begin, a quick message for the grownups. If you'd like to support our podcast, enjoy ad-free listening,

[00:01:36] unlock four bonus stories per month and much, much more, you can join Coco Club. Subscribe in just two taps via the link in the show notes. But now, here's a quick word from our sponsors. Before we settle in for tonight's sleepy story, here's something for the grownups and for our little dreamers who love big adventures. With Groupon, it's easier than ever to make magical memories together. If your little one has ever wished they could leap into a koala moon adventure,

[00:02:04] like taking a ballet class with Coco and Kira, or riding the monorail with Hector and Sunny, Groupon might just have the real-world version waiting for you. From trampoline parks and pottery classes to petting zoos and planetarium visits, Groupon helps families discover amazing activities, all at prices that make it easier to say yes to fun. So, when the sun comes up and those curious feet are ready to explore, just open the Groupon app and see what surprises are nearby.

[00:02:32] I've taken a peek already, and I'm super excited about what's coming up this summer. For a limited time only and exclusively for our Koala Moon listeners, you can use code MOON30 to get 30% off when checking out at Groupon before May the 31st. That's code MOON30 for real-life fun at fairytale prices. Groupon. Adventure is just around the corner. Hey, sleepyheads!

[00:02:58] I'm Kelly, the host of Koala Shine, the perfect daytime adventure show for long car journeys, school runs, and lazy Sunday mornings. I'm popping up here on Koala Moon because I've heard you want more Koala Kids stories, and I'm here to deliver. Beep beep, special delivery! Koala Shine is a tiny bit different from Koala Moon, as it's designed for daytime listening. So, after a great night's sleep with a story from Abby, you can have a big old stretch and tune into Koala Shine, joining your favourite characters on crazy adventures around the world.

[00:03:28] With new episodes every Friday, we'll follow Hector and Sunny on a daytime safari, explore the big city with Munchie the raccoon, and visit the circus with Super Soul. You'll also hear cool facts, jokes, and learn about the world we live in. Plus, there's a chance for your voices to be featured on the podcast too. Koala Shine offers mindful fun entertainment on the move, designed to spark curiosity.

[00:03:51] Search Koala Shine now on your favourite podcast platform, and be sure to hit follow so that finding your next adventure is easy peasy lemon squeezy. Hope to see you there! Koala Shine! But back to tonight's story now. Do you remember the Dimpled Dumpling Cafe? The place owned by the magical and mysterious Uma, who always has a cake-related story to share?

[00:04:19] Well, soon we're going to meet a young girl called Clara on her birthday, and she's dressed up beautifully as a regal princess. Imagine that! We need to close our eyes and meet her now. Let's begin. This is The Dimpled Dumpling Cafe. A Cake Fit for a Queen. By Jane Thomas.

[00:04:50] We're starting this story in the bedroom of a little girl called Clara. She shares the room with two of her five sisters. And if you thought that was a big family, wait until I tell you she also has four brothers. All ten of them live together with their parents in a very tiny cottage in a very tiny village called Puddle Dumb Bottom, in the heart of the rolling hills of the English countryside.

[00:05:19] And a big part of being in a big family is having a big pile of hand-me-downs for clothes. So when Clara puts on her very best dress this morning and twirls in front of the mirror and watches as the skirt swirls around her, her two older sisters have done the exact same thing in the exact same dress some years before when it belonged to them. And in time, her younger sisters will all do the same as well.

[00:05:49] But one thing Clara has that is her very own, and always has been, is a tiara. She was once playing in the stream at the bottom of the garden when she saw something glinting and sparkling in the water. So she hitched up her skirt and rolled up her sleeves and waded out and reached down and pulled out the glinting thing. It was a stone that shone in the light of the sun.

[00:06:19] If you turned it one way, it seemed to be green. And if you turned it the other way, it seemed to be blue. And sometimes it almost seemed as if it had bits of yellow in it. And sometimes it almost seemed as if it had bits of pink in it too. Clara had no idea what the stone was. And honestly, I couldn't tell you either.

[00:06:44] But she tucked it safely into her pocket that day and kept it secret for a while, before she decided what to do with it. In the end, she settled on making herself a tiara. She took one of her headbands and wrapped it in silver foil. And then went to her oldest brother, who spent a lot of time in the garage fixing bicycles and whatnot,

[00:07:10] and asked him for his strongest, mightiest, toughest glue. He helped her set the beautiful green, blue, yellow, pink stone right into the centre of her foil-covered headband. And, hey presto, Clara had a tiara.

[00:07:33] She kept it in her box of treasures under the bed and only wore it on very special occasions. Very special occasions, such as today, her birthday. With ten children and ten birthdays to celebrate each and every year, you can imagine it was quite difficult for her parents.

[00:07:59] But Clara's mother always tried to make the day special. And this year, Clara had asked to visit the Dimpled Dumpling and have a slice of cake with her mum and dad. That was all she wanted. The Dimpled Dumpling. Cakes and surprises in all shapes and sizes.

[00:08:23] It was just a few miles from Puddledum Bottom, nestled in the sleepy little village of lower starry skies. It had opened a few years earlier and word had quickly spread that it had the best cakes in the whole of the country. And quite possibly, the whole of the world. And if you were very lucky, then something extra special might happen to you there.

[00:08:53] Clara put on her very best dress and took her tiara from the box under her bed and perched it on her head, twirling around and smiling to herself. She felt like an absolute princess. Her mother took one of her hands and her father took the other.

[00:09:15] And as Clara was led down the garden path between them both, all her brothers and sisters held up branches from cherry blossom trees to form an archway for the three to pass between.

[00:09:30] By the time Clara's mother closed the little white gate behind them, all three of them were decorated with delicate pink cherry blossom petals that made Clara feel even more like a princess as they walked along the lane toward lower starry skies. Of course, they could have taken the bus, but it was far too beautiful a day. So they walked.

[00:10:01] As they walked, Clara imagined all the birds were calling out happy birthday to her because it did seem as though they were singing extra wonderful songs that day. And she could have sworn that all the butterflies were flying close to her tiara to see the coloured stone she had rescued from the stream. A man they knew came past, walking his pony.

[00:10:30] And as he went by, he swept off his hat and bowed low, saying, Goodness, if it isn't Princess Clara out on the road. Clara giggled to herself and gave her best version of a regal royal wave. They arrived at the dimpled dumpling in perfect time for afternoon tea.

[00:10:59] Sunshine poured down on the chairs and tables outside the colourful little cafe, and people sat, leaning back with their eyes closed, soaking in the warmth. Clara chose a high-backed wicker chair filled with plump red velvet cushions because it looked the most like a throne.

[00:11:24] And she pulled herself up into it and settled back to smile out at the world. Her mother sat on one side and her father the other. And it was only a few minutes before Uma came bustling out to help them. Uma is the lady who created the dimpled dumpling. She is a tiny little woman, all the way from India.

[00:11:55] And she wears a hundred colours in one go, with scarves and saris and skirts and swirls that dance around her and never seem to stop. Every single morning, she chooses a special combination of drink and cake.

[00:12:16] And if someone is lucky enough to pick that combination that she keeps firmly to herself, she will tell them a story. Now, the advantages of keeping it to herself mean that, on occasion, she can bend the rules slightly.

[00:12:39] Upon seeing Clara in her dress and tiara, Uma knew this was just such an occasion. Welcome, said Uma. And may I thank you, your royal highness, for choosing my humble café for your afternoon tea.

[00:13:03] Uma lowered her head and curtsied as low as low can be. And Clara giggled. I'm not really a princess, she said. No? But you are wearing a tiara. And you are sitting in a throne. You have on a beautiful gown.

[00:13:31] No, I'm sure you are a princess. And I know just the cake for you. Clara's eyes opened wide. She had never thought there might be a special princess cake.

[00:13:50] How do you like the sound of the lightest, airiest sponge, topped with cream, whipped so it almost floats like the clouds. And jam made from the freshest, reddest, plumpest strawberries you've ever known.

[00:14:13] All topped with a second sponge and dusted with icing sugar. Clara could almost taste the cake already. It sounded so wonderful. She nodded eagerly. And tell me, princess, what would you like to drink with your cake?

[00:14:41] Clara thought about it and screwed up her eyes to help her think. It was her birthday after all. And she was now a whole seven years old. When you were seven, you started to have much more grown up drinks, she told herself. She thought of her mother in the morning, making a strong cup of coffee at the start of each day.

[00:15:10] And although Clara had never tried it, she decided that that was the most grown up drink she could think of. I'd like a coffee, please, she said as confidently as she could, while being very unsure about the idea. Clara's mother was just about to say something when Uma held out her hand.

[00:15:39] A small smile played on Uma's lips. Do you know, your highness, we are fresh out of coffee. But do you want to know what I do have? I have pink lemonade. The pinkest, sparkliest, bubbliest lemonade. Now, how does that sound?

[00:16:08] Clara, slightly relieved that whatever coffee might be it wasn't available, nodded her head eagerly. Pink lemonade sounds wonderful, she said with a smile. Let me see, said Uma slowly, carefully writing down the order on her notepad.

[00:16:33] That's one slice of Victoria sponge and one pink lemonade. She paused and looked at the paper, looking very surprised. Do you know, you've only gone and ordered the secret recipe, she said.

[00:17:08] Uma nodded firmly. She held a finger to her lips and smiled, then disappeared inside. While she bustled about getting the cakes and drinks ready for Clara and her parents, the plants on the back wall of the cafe almost bristled with excitement.

[00:17:33] They knew what was about to happen and they couldn't wait to hear Uma's story of the day. The small blue and white china elephant on the counter shimmied slowly to the very end of it so he was as close to the door as possible and might listen in too.

[00:17:56] As she went outside back into the sunshine, Uma held the tray of drinks and cakes on the fingertips of one hand and picked up a big soft blue cushion with the other.

[00:18:14] Everyone in the cafe sensed something wonderful was about to happen and they stopped the clattering of knives and forks on crockery, put down their mugs and glasses and waited to see what it was. Uma settled onto her blue cushion and began to tell her story. Uma settled onto her blue cushion and made a beautiful princess.

[00:18:43] This story, she said, can only be told in the presence of royalty. And because we have a princess here with us today, wearing her beautiful princess dress and her beautiful princess tiara, I am allowed to tell it. Many years ago, the Queen of England was called Victoria.

[00:19:10] She had a wonderful life, riding her ponies around the castle grounds, playing the harp as she sat in the rose garden in the afternoon and reading stories from her vast library in the evening. Back when she was queen, a person would eat three meals in a day.

[00:19:35] They would wake for breakfast and Queen Victoria always liked to have two eggs, lightly boiled, and strips of buttered toast that she would have the servants cut. She could then dip them into the eggs and covered them in delicious golden and white messiness that always, always ended up on her shirt front.

[00:20:01] And then, after some hours of riding ponies or whatever else one did, everyone would have lunch. Queen Victoria liked to have cucumber sandwiches cut into delicate little triangles and always with the crusts cut off. Queen Victoria liked to have a lot of a look of the cucumbers. The cucumbers were grown in her greenhouses somewhere or other on her vast estate.

[00:20:30] She was never quite sure where, but she knew her gardeners grew the finest cucumbers in all the land, and that was all that mattered. Finally, quite late in the evening Often as late as eight or nine o'clock When, quite honestly, half the population would have been more than happy to be curled up in bed and fast asleep

[00:20:59] Heads burrowed into soft pillows and blankets pulled up around their ears Only then would people have their evening meal And the thing was, many people would spend a good part of the afternoon and evening Grumbling that they were really quite hungry indeed

[00:21:25] But no meal existed to fill that corner of the day That is, until a lady called Anne Russell, a duchess Came up with the rather excellent idea of having something she would call afternoon tea Because this was only going to be a small meal Everything would be in miniature, she decided

[00:21:53] So one could eat miniature sandwiches and miniature quiches And it wasn't really a proper whole meal at all So it didn't really count At least, that is what she told herself And then, because everything is always better with cake

[00:22:15] She decided that cake absolutely must be a part of afternoon tea as well She wanted something that was light and fluffy Not something heavy that would make you fall asleep And miss out on some of the best parts of the day You could miss out on some seriously beautiful sunsets

[00:22:43] And you'd never see the swallows flying home to their nests And you'd never watch those first moments As the golden globe of the moon climbs higher and higher in the sky And you'd never catch the first bright star of the night either

[00:23:08] So, the duchess asked her servants to scour the whole world To find the lightest, fluffiest cake they could As it turns out, there were a lot of these cakes to choose from Her servants travelled to all corners of the globe Sailing the seas on the fastest ships

[00:23:36] And dashing across lands on the horses with the fleetest hooves In Italy, they went to the courts of Catherine de' Medici Finding cakes that were made to look as delicate as ladies' fingers In China, they found something called malay cake Cooked to perfection in bamboo steamers So they were puffy and light

[00:24:05] And looked as if they might float away any moment In the Philippines, they discovered ubi cake Bright purple because of the purple yams that were included in the batter So it was as if the cakes were clouds Nestled on the edges of a sunset

[00:24:28] In Argentina, the servants discovered something called the tres leches cake Where the cooks soaked the sponges in three kinds of milk before baking them to make them extra sweet and light and fluffy There were cakes in Portugal and Spain And in the Italian city of Genoa

[00:24:56] And all of them gave the servants ideas that they rushed back to Duchess Russell with Who tried them all one by one But of all the cakes she tried Duchess Russell loved an English one the most It was so soft and light and tasted as if it must surely have been made by fairies

[00:25:26] And she asked her cooks to improve on that If improve they could It was quite by accident that some strawberry jam was spilled on the cake one day As it sat cooling on the windowsill of the kitchen And when the cook tried it Her eyes lit up She knew she was on to something

[00:25:54] It was one of the kitchen maids Whose job it was to sweep the floors and wash the pots and pans Who came up with the bright idea of whipping cream And adding that to the cake too This, she suggested, would balance the sweetness of the strawberry jam The idea was tried and found to be delicious

[00:26:20] And after many weeks of testing this theory and that The cake was finally created The cook took it to Duchess Russell on a silver platter Holding her breath as the lady cut a slice and picked up her fork There was a light sponge cake Followed by a layer of delicately whipped cream

[00:26:48] And the freshest strawberry jam And then a second sponge cake that was dusted with icing sugar The smile on Duchess Russell's face said it all And in that moment She declared My, oh, my This is a cake fit for a queen

[00:27:16] She decided to test this theory By asking her good friend Queen Victoria to visit She wrote her a note that started with My dear Vic For when you are good friends with a queen You can dispense with formalities My dear Vic

[00:27:40] I have solved the problem of needing a morsel of something to eat in the afternoons Do come by at your earliest convenience And I will share my magical solution As it turned out The earliest convenience was the following day Queen Victoria said to her servants That no

[00:28:09] She should not play the harp in the rose garden that day And instead Ordered her carriage To whisk her away to Duchess Russell's home The white horses The white horses were brought from the stables Since they were the ones used in the afternoons As opposed to the black horses that were used at night

[00:28:35] And the carriage fitted with the plumpest, softest cushions To ready it for the drive Then Off went the queen Hurtling towards her invitation She loved the cake so much And talked about it to so many people And requested it so many times

[00:29:02] In fact, each and every day That amongst her friends and acquaintances It soon became known as The Victoria Sponge The word spread throughout the kingdom And before long The whole country was eating the same cake as the queen And that, my dear Finished Uma

[00:29:31] Standing up and stretching herself a little Smiling at Clara Is how I knew That is exactly what you should eat today I saw a princess Sparkling with her tiara And I knew That only the finest cake would do for her

[00:29:56] I do hope you've enjoyed the Victoria Sponge Clara nodded her head The cake was quite gone The pink lemonade disappeared down to the last drop And really, this had been the most wonderful birthday surprise

[00:30:22] She'd always heard there was something special about the dimpled dumpling But never knew quite what it was Until today The blue and white china elephant on the counter sighed And the plants on the back wall rustled their pleasure And everyone in the cafe felt a little lighter

[00:30:51] As if for a moment They had floated on the backs of fairies While they'd listened to Uma tell her story Clara and her parents Were just about to set off When, as it happened The man they had seen earlier with his horse Came trotting past There was now a cart attached to the back of the horse

[00:31:21] Princess Clara James said Lifting his hat and bowing low Would you do me the honour of travelling in my humble carriage? I would gladly take you home For the sun is sinking in the sky Clara's father picked her up As if she were light as a feather Placing her on the seat

[00:31:49] Beside James from Puddle Dumb Bottom Who lived in the cottage Three doors down from theirs And then Clara's mother and father Set themselves on the back So they would travel backwards And off they went towards home Everyone at the dimpled dumpling Waved as they went With some of the younger ones Courtsying

[00:32:19] Just in case This girl With the beautiful dress And beautiful tiara Really was a princess The old grey pony Moved slowly along the lanes Taking the chance To lean over And breathe in the scent Of the honeysuckle here And the jasmine there

[00:32:46] Clara could For once See over the tops of hedgerows And she looked out At the rolling fields Filled to overflowing With yellow flowers And blue flowers And fluffy sheep That looked like little clouds She watched as the swallows Started to head home To their nests And looked at the sun

[00:33:16] As it sent different colours Pouring out into the sky And across the world Turning a pond Into a dapple of pink By the time They reached the little white gate At the end of their garden The sun had quite disappeared And Clara Watched As the moon Rose

[00:33:45] Gently Over the horizon She leaned back And waited Until she saw The very first star Sparkling in the sky Then closed her eyes tight And made her wish That all my brothers And sisters Will have such

[00:34:14] A magical birthday As mine She whispered to herself Without even realising That by sharing her wish With others She really was Behaving as a true Princess Would When she settled Into her bed That night Her beautiful dress Once more Back in the wardrobe

[00:34:42] And her beautiful tiara Once more safe In the box Beneath the bed She told the story She had heard At the dimpled dumpling To her two sisters Who shared her room And so That night Three little girls Curled up And disappeared Into dreams Where they were all Queens Who

[00:35:12] Rowed ponies Around the castle grounds In the morning And played the harp In the rose gardens In the afternoon And Read From their vast libraries In the evenings And each And every day They would take A silver fork And eat the lightest Fluffiest cake In all The world

[00:35:41] And Of course To go With the cake They all Had glasses Of pink lemonade That bubbled And fizzed And sparkled And Of course They each Wore Their tiaras That sparkled Like the stars In the sky Bye