SWEET-toothed shoppers are in for a treat with the opening of Liverpool’s first city centre specialist cupcake shop.

Laura’s Little Bakery, based in The Home Quarter on Hanover Street, is the brainchild of businesswoman Laura O’Connor.

Busy mum Laura set her bakery up from her kitchen in Mossley Hill last year.

She said: “My passion for baking was sparked by my first visit to New York City where I sampled its famous cheesecake and was duly inspired to attempt one myself.

“I quickly got the baking bug and have been providing friends and family with many a tasty treat ever since.

“With their encouragement, I decided to go into baking full-time and so Laura’s Little Bakery was born.”

In just over a year the bakery has grown so much that it now supplies Dafna’s Cheesecakes, Penny Lane Wine Bar and Bold Street Coffee, as well as corporate clients Liverpool One, the Empire theatre, the Noble House and Sony. The company also makes regular and bespoke orders to deliver to addresses across the North West.

Laura’s range of cakes has won fans across the country, with high profile devotees such as Melanie C, Neil Fitzmaurice, Mark Moraghan, Lynda Bellingham and Liverpool FC captain Steven Gerrard.

Liverpool FC fan Laura said: “Steven Gerrard ordered cakes for himself and his family and I had the great pleasure of delivering them to him personally to Melwood.”

This summer Laura organised a ‘blooming great’ tea party for Marie Curie at Schmooze wine bar in Allerton, attracting food fans from across the city.

While so many businesses are failing, Laura’s is booming. So much so, that she has now decided to set up a full time cupcake shop.

She said: “The Home Quarter contacted me to see if I was interested in taking over Cafe Coco.

“After a lot of thought I decided that it would be a fab idea, they've offered me a great deal so it was too good to refuse in the end.”

As well as cupcakes customers can choose from cheesecakes, traybakes, tarts and pâtisserie.

Laura said: “I will be focusing on the cupcake side of things as there's no other place in the city centre doing that.

“They do seem to go down well, but there will be other things available such as cheesecakes, carrot cakes, brownies and breakfast pastries.

“There will be a take out service and I will still be supplying local restaurants, bars and cafes.

“I will still also be offering the bespoke cupcake service for weddings, corporate orders and birthdays which has proved very popular with many local businesses and companies in Liverpool.”

Laura’s Little Bakery will open in the Home Quarter later this month.