Flat Top Cupcake Decorating without Fondant

I see some of the cutest cupcakes ever that are decorated flat on top with fondant... My only problem with this is that I really don't like fondant on cupcakes.  Motivated to try and create the same effect with buttercream, I tried this technique out.... I think I could really do some fun things with this over time and with some more experimenting.  The other "plus" is that there is not an over-abundance of icing!  Cupcakes can be crazy cute with icing piled high, but I think more often than not, the majority of that icing gets discarded.

The photos are not the best, as they were taken with my i-phone and apparently my lens needs some cleaning ;/

First Step - holding your piping bag vertical, pipe a flat circle on the top of your cupcake.

Here are the circles... making sure they are in the center and as symmetrical as possible is key to a nice finish.

Turn the cupcakes over onto a baking sheet covered with wax paper (NOT parchment!)  Press down with even pressure.  You want the icing to distribute evenly, but not quite to the edge of the cupcake.

This is what they should look like :)  Put the tray into the freezer for 15-30 minutes... enough time to allow the icing to firm.

Remove from the freezer and turn over immediately.  You should have perfectly flat cupcake tops!

A perfect base to add your piping decorations to!

I had pink and green icing already in piping bags, so that's what I worked with.  A simple word on top I thought would be nice and clean...

Add a bead border (or whatever border you choose)

Aren't they cute?  I did these really quickly... with more time and care I think they could be crazy fabulous!