Influencer baker and founder of Brooki Bakehouse, Brooke Bellamy, has broken her silence on the plagiarism scandal that’s rocked Australia’s online food scene.
The controversy began when RecipeTin Eats founder Nagi Maehashi accused Bellamy of reproducing her recipes without credit in the best-selling cookbook Bake with Brooki.
Now, after weeks of radio silence, Bellamy is speaking out, not just to defend herself, but to reclaim the narrative around creativity, inspiration, and the role of women in food and business.
A long pause, then a measured return
“Since opening my bakery three years ago and sharing my life online, I’ve never had such a long break between videos,” Bellamy said in a video reel posted to Instagram. “But I’ve also never experienced something like I have over the last few weeks.”
In the three-minute video Bellamy shared her emotional reflections on the saga and the growing scrutiny that’s followed her success.
“All my life, I’ve dreamed of owning my own business,” she said. “Because I love eating sweets and learning how to make them, I opened my bakery a few years ago. Before this, I was traveling the world in search of the best bakeries, and I have been so inspired and influenced by bakeries and bakers the world over.”
While not naming Maehashi directly, Bellamy addressed the heart of the controversy: the originality of her recipes.
“These recipes have been written down on paper, been handed to me by friends and family. They get passed down through generations. They get scaled up and scaled down in the bakery setting,” she said.
“While all of these recipes are personal to me, I cannot say that I have invented the cookies, cupcakes, brownies or cakes in the recipe book. They are all inspired from somewhere and someone before me.”
The backstory: claims, counterclaims, and cookbooks
The feud went public when Maehashi posted a side-by-side comparison of her caramel slice recipe and a similar version in Bake with Brooki, claiming Bellamy had reproduced her work without permission.
“I’m no stranger to seeing my recipes being copied online,” Maehashi wrote, “but seeing what I believe to be my recipes and my words printed in a multi-million dollar book launched with a huge publicity campaign… was shocking.”
She further alleged her legal team had identified additional plagiarised material and were in contact with publisher Penguin Australia.
Bellamy, in an earlier written statement, had already denied the plagiarism claims outright: “I have not plagiarised any of the recipes in my book which consist of 100 recipes I have created over many years since falling in love with baking as a child.”
She did, however, offer to remove the two disputed recipes from future editions “to prevent further aggravation.”
But the story didn’t stop there. American baking star Sally McKenney, of Sally’s Baking Addiction, entered the fray, alleging Bellamy’s vanilla cake recipe mirrored hers from 2019.
“Original recipe creators who put in the work to develop and test recipes deserve credit,” McKenney wrote. “Especially in a best-selling cookbook.”
Sally McKenney, of Sally’s Baking Addiction, also claimed Bellamy plagiarised one of her recipes
A defence rooted in nostalgia
Despite the mounting pressure, Bellamy’s reel leaned into the sentimentality that first fuelled her rise.
“The biggest inspiration in my life is my mum, because I learned to cook and bake with her in the kitchen growing up,” she said. “And when I was invited to write a cookbook, I was really excited to share all of the recipes that I’ve been making since I was small.”
She spoke of a baking journey grounded in global travel, shared family traditions, and a genuine love for sweets.
“I never subscribe to be a part of a narrative that pits two women against each other, especially in the same industry,” she added. “I think there’s room for everyone, especially more women in business.”