CUPCAKES are so last year... Frosty meringues are the coolest new sweet treat on the table - and they make perfect party puds, as Alex Hoffler and Stacey O'Gorman show Gemma Dunn

From elaborate pavlovas to plush, punk-pink rainbow cakes, chefs and food stylists Alex Hoffler and Stacey O'Gorman - aka the Meringue Girls - both still in their 20s - have been taking the baking scene by storm with their vibrant and pioneering creations.

Describing their latest collaboration with Currys PC World, O'Gorman explains: "We've created three recipes - brown sugar pavlova, raspberry chocolate traybake and rainbow macarons - to help inspire the nation to try something new in the kitchen."

Hoffler promises that even the most amateur of cooks will be capable of perfecting these delicious numbers.

"None of them are out-of-this-world crazy or difficult," she says. "The brownies are especially easy and they're also the best brownies we've ever tasted. I just can't believe that they're not that bad for you - they're dairy-free and gluten-free, as we use coconut oil and coconut flour."

O'Gorman, who trained in culinary arts in her native New Zealand, and Hoffler, a graduate from the prestigious Leiths School of Food and Wine, first bonded over whisked whites during their time as chefs at London Cinema Hackney Picturehouse; and later pledged to nail the sweet treat after entering - and later winning - Cooks To Market, a TV cooking contest hosted by Gizzi Erskine.

Nearly four years on and this tour de force have secured a string of big name clients, including Alexander McQueen and Vogue, released two hit cookbooks from their East London kitchen, expanded into events and masterclasses and, most telling of all, cast shade over that trendiest of bakes, the cupcake.

But rest on their laurels? Unlikely.

"We've got such high aspirations that we're like, 'Come on, let's go a bit faster now'. It's always like, ' More, more, more'," says Hoffler.

"We're at a real crossroads at the moment. We've got lots of offers, so we're concentrating on business planning and strategy."

"It looks like we'll be franchising and opening a shop in the UAE before we open in the UK," adds O'Gorman. "The opportunity is already there abroad."