It was a war Jane Vasterling didn’t initially want to be in — but a war she won.

The owner of Little London Cake Shoppe, 620 S. 25th St., and her baker, Reuben Russell, won $10,000 on an episode of Food Network’s “Cupcake Wars” that aired Sunday.

Food Network started calling Vasterling months ago to be on one of its baking shows.

“Last November I came to work and my baker told me that the Food Network had called,” Vasterling said. “I thought he was joking and didn’t listen to the message until later that day.”

The producer had invited Vasterling to be a contestant on a Halloween-themed cake competition.

“That was really interesting to me because I’m known for my cake sculpting,” she said. “They wanted me to do a video and post it on YouTube to see what my personality was like and if I’d be a fit for the show.”

She got the video posted, then didn’t hear anything else.

“I had forgotten about it. Then, in February, they called again,” she said. “This time they wanted me to be on ‘Cupcake Wars.’ I told them I wasn’t interested. Cupcakes are not the focus of my business.”

But the Food Network wasn’t going to take no for an answer. They called two more times asking Vasterling to be on the show.

“They had seen my video and liked it,” she said. “They said they liked the looks of my cakes on my website and they liked my English accent.”

She broke down and made another video featuring cupcakes for YouTube and soon was being swept away to Los Angeles.

On Feb. 28, she and Russell arrived at the Food Network’s California studios where the show is produced. They competed against three other baking teams, each producing four cupcake recipes for a competition titled “Afternoon Tea for the Queen’s Jubilee.”

Vasterling and Russell wowed the judges with their Stilton cheese pear and walnut cupcake with cream cheese, cucumber and dill topping; orange marmalade filled with crème anglaise and with chocolate buttercream frosting; royal white cupcake filled with strawberry compote; and flourless chocolate mousse cupcake topped with bittersweet chocolate whipped cream, raspberry whipped cream and drizzled with raspberry syrup.

The episode will air again at 6 p.m. Tuesday.The winning cupcakes are available by ordering a minimum of six for $48. Call 475-2340. The bakery is by appointment only.

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Contact Teresa J. Farney at 636-0271, Twitter @tffoodie, Facebook Teresa Farney