Popular Australian influencer and baker Brooke Bellamy has been accused of copying recipes by two well-known cookbook authors. The claims were first made by Nagi Maehashi, the creator of the widely-followed RecipeTin Eats website. She pointed out that Bellamy’s cookbook, Bake with Brooki, includes recipes that show strong word-for-word similarities to her own published work.
Brooke Bellamy, who owns the successful Brooki Bakehouse chain in Queensland and has a following of two million on TikTok, denied the accusations. She stated that all 100 recipes in her cookbook were developed by her over several years. One of the recipes under scrutiny, she claims, was created before Maehashi ever published hers.
Soon after Maehashi’s public statement, US-based author Sally McKenney also accused Bellamy of copying her popular vanilla cake recipe, which appears in Bellamy’s book and on her YouTube channel. McKenney is known for her site Sally’s Baking Addiction, which has a global fan base.
The controversy started when a reader noticed similarities between Maehashi’s caramel slice recipe and Bellamy’s version in her cookbook. This led Maehashi to further compare other recipes, including one for baklava, and post a side-by-side analysis on her website. Maehashi’s platform receives around 45 million views each month, and she is an award-winning author of two cookbooks.
Maehashi reported the issue to Bellamy’s publisher, Penguin Random House Australia. She said the publisher brought in legal teams, which made the situation feel like an attempt to intimidate her. In response, she retained her own legal team and sent formal complaints to both Bellamy and the publisher.
Penguin Random House and Brooke Bellamy have denied all allegations. The publisher confirmed the recipes in Bake with Brooki were authored by Bellamy. Bellamy added that although she did nothing wrong, she offered to remove the recipes from future editions to avoid more conflict. She expressed respect for Maehashi but remained firm in defending her cookbook.
Bellamy also spoke out on social media, saying recipe development today often draws inspiration from a wide range of cooks, bloggers, and creators. She said that sharing recipes is a key part of the baking community.
Despite the controversy, both Maehashi’s and Bellamy’s cookbooks are shortlisted for the Australian Book Industry Awards this year. However, the debate has sparked wider conversations in the food community about originality, inspiration, and credit for recipe creators.
By
