Bellamy has countered these accusations, stating last night that she did not plagiarize. She mentioned her readiness to exclude the disputed recipes, which are for caramel slice and baklava, from future editions of the book. Bellamy also noted that she has been preparing the caramel slice long before Maehashi shared her version online.

Bellamy said recipe development was “enveloped in inspiration from other cooks, cookbook authors, food bloggers and content creators”.

“I value the spirit of sharing recipes and the evolution they undergo, which is a huge part of what I cherish in baking and the connections it fosters,” Bellamy expressed.

“I stand by my love for baking, my recipes, and the joy this book has brought so many home bakers around the world eager to try recreating my recipes from inside their homes.”

Penguin Random House Australia has been contacted for comment by 9News.com.au.

In her blog post, Maehashi said the publisher lawyers told her, “Our client respectfully rejects your clients’ allegations and confirms that the recipes in the BWB Book were written by Brooke Bellamy”.