WHOOPIE for Melissa’s cakes.

Mum of one Melissa O’Dwyer, who first started her bakery business in the kitchen of her Rownhams home six years ago and moved it to bigger premises on the outskirts of Romsey in 2013 to cope with growing demand, has launched a midweek treat for cake lovers – Whoopie Pie Wednesday.

And sales of the Little Bee Bakery product are literally going like hot cakes.

Single mum Melissa said she is amazed with the response she’s had from customers at the Abbey Park Industrial Estate-based bakery.

Describing whoopie pies as a cake burger or two domes of buttermilk sponge with a cream cheese filling, Melissa said mixed-flavour boxes of the product are only available on Wednesdays – hence the name Whoopie Pie Wednesday.

Same flavoured boxes of whoopie pies are sold at all other times and normally in a minimum of four to a pack.

“Whoopie pies were born out of my frustration to make French macrons. I was searching on line one night and I came across whoopies and that was my macrons.

"We have 18 flavours ranging from lemon, orange and marmalade, and blueberry to salted caramel, and we also do an alcoholic Christmas one,” said 39-year-old Melissa.

The whoopie pies come in boxes of six mixed-flavour and cost £9.50. They be collected direct from the bakery which now has four permanent members of staff along with an apprentice.

Melissa said she had got good feedback from customers who have sampled the Whoopie pies, which were launched last month.

Debra Pike, of Leicester, said: “The whoopie pies are amazing. I did think we would freeze some of them but they never made it within 6ft of the freezer.”

Pointing out that Little Bee is a “rapidly growing” business, Melissa said: “I am still surprised at how quickly the business took off. We are now open on Saturday mornings.

"If you’ve got good products, people keep coming back. My parents, Barbara and Peter Rosson, are involved in the business which started as a hobby.”

For deliveries of the Whoopie pies in the Southampton and Winchester area, Melissa adds a £2.50 charge.