Make the buttercream by combining the butter, vanilla, and 2 cups of the powdered sugar in a large bowl.
Add in the cream and additional sugar in increments, until you reach a desired sweetness and consistency. I like to taste the contrast of butter and vanilla, while still having a stiff enough frosting to create gorgeous swirls.
Fit a decorating bag with your desired frosting tip and fill with the buttercream. Starting in the center of the cupcake, and applying even pressure, swirl the frosting outwards, and then back towards the center for a gorgeous “domed” effect.
Spray half of the cupcake with silver food spray, and then the other half with gold. If you’d like, you can just use one color of the food spray and leave half of the cupcake white.