It seems that the Australian cookbook drama is beginning to boil because a popular foodie blogger in the US has now entered the chat, claiming Brooke Bellamy has also copied one of her recipes in her best-selling book, Bake With Brooki.
In case you’ve missed the bombshell accusations that were dropped on Tuesday evening, popular Aussie food blogger Nagi Maehashi (AKA RecipeTin Eats) publicly accused Brooke Bellamy (the founder of Brooki) and Penguin Random House of copying her and other people’s recipes in her book Bake With Brooki.
Shortly after Nagi came forward with the shocking allegations, fellow foodie blogger Sally McKenney took to her Instagram, claiming that one of her cake recipes was also copied in Bake With Brooki.
“Nagi, you know how much I admire and support you — and I’m so grateful you let me know months ago that one of my recipes (The Best Vanilla Cake I’ve Ever Had, published by me in 2019) was also plagarised in this book and also appears on the author’s YouTube Channel,” the US based foodie blogger claimed.
“Original recipe creators who put in the work to develop and test recipes deserve credit — especially in a best-selling cookbook.”
The RecipeTin Eats founder reshared McKenney’s story on her Instagram page, confirming that Sally was “one of the authors” she contacted when the alleged copied recipes were brought to her attention last year.
“I recognised her vanilla cake because I’ve made it and it’s unique (it uses buttermilk),” Maehashi wrote.
“I’m sorry Sally. I know how hard you work on recipes too and this is one of her signature famous recipes. You’ve such a baking nerd and you know I love it.”
Bake With Brooki’s Brooke Bellamy responds to the plagiarism allegations
On Tuesday evening, Bellamy addressed the plagiarism allegations head-on, stating that she’s been “creating” and “selling them commercially since October 2016”.
“I did not plagiarise any recipes in my book which consists of 100 recipes I have created over many years, since falling in love with baking as a child and growing up baking with my mum in our home,” the statement began.
“In 2016, I opened my first bakery. I have been creating my recipes and selling them commercially since October 2016 — as shown in the next slide and as was communicated at the first point of contact I received.
“On March 2020, Recipetin [sic] Eats published a recipe for caramel slice. It uses the same ingredients as my recipe, which I have been making and selling since four years prior.”
Bellamy then expressed her “great respect” for Maehashi, and claimed she contacted the Aussie blogger regarding the recipes, adding that she offered to remove them from future reprints of Bake With Brooki.
“Recipe development in today’s world is enveloped in inspiration from other cooks, cookbook authors, food bloggers and content creators. This willingness to share recipes and build on what has come before is what I love so much about baking and sharing recipes — the community that surrounds it,” the TikTok baker continued.
“I stand by my love for baking, my recipes, and the joy this book has brought so many home bakers around the world to try recreating my recipes from inside their homes.”
In a second statement, shared on Wednesday, Brooke denied the plagiarism allegations a second time and shared that the backlash has been “deeply distressing” for her and her family.
“The past 24 hours have been extremely overwhelming,” she began.
“I do not copy other people’s recipes. Like many bakers, I draw inspiration from the classics, but the creations you see at Brooki Bakehouse reflect my own experience, taste, and passion for baking, born of countless hours of my childhood spent in my home kitchen with Mum.
“While baking has leeway for creativity, much of it is a precise science and is necessarily formulaic. Many recipes are bound to share common steps and measures: if they don’t, they simply don’t work.
“My priority right now is to ensure the welfare of the fantastic team at Brooki Bakehouse and that of my family.”
When Maehashi reached out to Penguin Random House regarding the copying accusations, the publisher responded with a statement, saying, “Our client respectfully rejects your clients’ allegations and confirms that the recipes in the BWB Book were written by Brooke Bellamy”.
At the time of writing, Bellamy has not responded to the fresh allegations surrounding McKenney’s “The Best Vanilla Cake I’ve Ever Had” recipe.
Bake With Brooki is also still available for purchase at most stores.
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