Claims Spark Online Debate
A public dispute has erupted between two popular Australian food personalities. Nagi Maehashi, founder of RecipeTin Eats, accused Brooke Bellamy of plagiarising two recipes. Maehashi said Bellamy’s caramel slice and baklava recipes closely resembled her original work. The recipes appear in Bellamy’s bestselling cookbook Bake with Brooki, released in October 2024.
Maehashi published the allegations on Tuesday via a statement on her website. She shared side-by-side screenshots of the recipes, ingredients, and methods. She said the similarities between the recipes amounted to plagiarism. “Profiting from plagiarised recipes is unethical — even if it is not copyright infringement,” she wrote.
Figure 1: Nagi Maehashi accused Brooke Bellamy of plagiarising two recipes
Recipe Origins in Question
Maehashi said her caramel slice recipe was first published in March 2020. She said it featured a unique twist by using caramel as the base instead of golden syrup. She added that the precision in measurements and instructions made the similarities “far too strong” to ignore.
Maehashi said her suspicions began in November 2024. A reader alerted her to similarities with Bellamy’s newly published version. She said seeing what looked like her recipe in a high-profile book release was shocking.
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Bellamy responded on Instagram. She denied all allegations. “I did not plagiarise any recipes,” she wrote. She said she had been making and selling the caramel slice commercially since October 2016. “It uses the same ingredients as my recipe, which I have been making and selling for four years prior,” she said.
Immediate Offer to Remove Recipes
Bellamy said she immediately offered to remove the caramel slice and baklava from future editions of her cookbook. “This was communicated to Nagi swiftly through discussions,” she said. Bellamy added that her book contains 100 original recipes. She said she created them over the years of baking, beginning in childhood.
Maehashi said the offer came after she reached out to Bellamy. Despite the offer, Maehashi said she still viewed the issue as a serious ethical breach. “It’s a slap in the face to every author who puts in the hard work to create original content rather than cutting corners,” she stated.
Penguin Random House Involved
Penguin Random House Australia, which published Bellamy’s cookbook, rejected the plagiarism claim. According to Maehashi, the publisher brought in legal representatives. She said the legal response was filled with jargon she found difficult to understand. “Disappointingly, instead of engaging in civil discussions with me, Penguin brought in lawyers,” she said.
Maehashi said she has since engaged legal counsel of her own. She expressed concern about the precedent set by profiting from content that mirrors original work. She said it undermines the integrity of cookbooks and disrespects authors who follow ethical standards.
Additional Allegations from the US
American baker Sally McKenny, known as Sally’s Baking Addiction, also entered the discussion. She claimed Bellamy plagiarised her vanilla cake recipe. McKenny said she published the recipe in 2019 under the title The Best Vanilla Cake I’ve Ever Had. She stated it appeared in Bake with Brooki and also featured on Bellamy’s YouTube channel.
McKenny said Maehashi had informed her about the issue months ago. “Original recipe creators who put in the work to develop and test recipes deserve credit,” McKenny said. She stressed that recognition is especially important in bestselling cookbooks.
Figure 3: Sally McKenny (Sally’s Baking Addiction) claims Bake with Brooki plagiarised one of her recipes
Social Media Impact and Industry Implications
Brooke Bellamy, who runs Brooki Bakehouse, has a large online following. She has more than 3 million followers combined on Instagram and TikTok. She also runs three cookie stores in Brisbane. Her debut cookbook, Bake with Brooki, is shortlisted for the Australian Book Industry Awards. Maehashi’s book Tonight is also a contender.
Maehashi’s website, RecipeTin Eats, has drawn over 500 million views globally. She is a bestselling author with multiple awards. In her response, Bellamy said she respects Maehashi’s work. “Recipe development in today’s world is enveloped in inspiration from other cooks, cookbook authors, food bloggers, and content creators,” she wrote.
She said that sharing and evolving recipes is part of the community spirit she values. Bellamy said the culture of baking includes learning and drawing inspiration from others. However, Maehashi and McKenny maintained that proper credit is critical when recipes resemble existing work.
Conclusion
The dispute highlights growing tensions around intellectual property in recipe development. Both sides have strong public and industry support. The situation continues to evolve as legal representatives assess the claims. The case has sparked wider conversations across food blogging, publishing, and social media communities.
