Give me your easy but amazing cake decorating tips

[Hanumantelpiece]

MIL has a birthday next week and I will be making her a surprise cake (small) to mark the occasion.
I'm stumped as to how to decorate it as she's really good at that sort of thing. I don't want to buy it. Just need simple but effective decor tips.
I can do flat icing or buttercream but I don't have loads of fancy cutters or nozzles, so ideas that use the basic beginners stuff please.

Ombré buttercream is simple and effective?

A simple way to decorate a chocolate cake is with a rich buttercream, chocolate fingers around the sides and m&ms in a jaunty pattern on the top. I’ve done this several times, including for one of my wedding cakes!

Perhaps google for images of my suggestion so you can see what I’m yammering on about.

Okay, look at this:

www.google.co.uk/search?q=cake+chocolate+fingers+m%26ms&client=safari&hl=en-gb&prmd=isvn&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjN3Iv78M_gAhV7QxUIHdLEA6MQ_AUoAXoECAwQAQ&biw=414&bih=719#imgrc=SQrFP09NnXBfCM

I should have said - can't do chocolate as it gives her a migraine. Shall look at the suggestions - please keep them coming!

Flood the top with icing (the type you make with icing sugar and lemon juice) and decorate with chopped pistachios?

If you can stretch to buying one icing nozzle, buy a 2D or 1M Wilton tip and pipe buttercream roses all over the cake (loads of tutorials online). It is so easy even I can do it!

You can use two colours (or more!) of icing.

Can you put real flowers on like violas?

Use those cylindrical cigar shape wafers stuck all around the edge. Freshly whipped cream and strawberries on top. Looks simple but effective!

These wafer things... goo.gl/images/gi8tVx

Sponge cake sandwiched with jam and cream and fresh berries. More cream on top and more fruit. And some edible flowers if you want to be fancy

Needs to be assembled last minute-ish but very easy.

I did white chocolate chunks and raspberries on buttercream. Lemon curd and buttercream sandwiching it together.

Yes i agree with the chocolate fingers round the side.

I once made a plain round chocolate sponge cake.

Iced it with white chocolate buttercream.

Then round the edges I did chocolate fingers alternating the white chocolate fingers with the milk chocolate ones.

Decorate the top with Belgian truffles...looks lovely.

Recipe www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/4883/classic-winter-fruitcake

And a pic of my interpretation. Very easy!

Buy a wilton tip #789 - it's huge so you can do big ombre stripes really easily.

Do at least 4 layers of cake so it's nice and tall. Make a load of buttercream. Colour half of it with gel to get a nice strong colour. First stripe just colour. Then add some non coloured to the mix to lighten it - next stripe. And again, and again and finally no colour at the top.

Another vote for a 2D nozzle and pipe buttercream roses. Do it all cream then sprinkle some gold edible glitter over. Or a few flower colours (definitely more effort, I hate mixing colours, I nearly always go cream!)

If you can make a decent sponge cake, then I think the easiest route with the most impact will be an Eton mess cake.

Two (or three) layers of sponge sandwiches together with whipped cream, berries, and crushed up meringues.

I make it frequently and it's always a huge hit. Example pic attached!

I did this for MIL. It’s really simple as it’s just a nozzle on piping bag. It got lots of compliments

This is the example...

I made this one for husbands birthday. Easy and looked fab www.janespatisserie.com/2016/07/04/salted-caramel-drip-cake/

Thanks - so many ideas! I'll see what nozzles and colours I have and take it from there.x

I went with a combo of piped swirly roses and a basic ombre effect. I think it looked ok.

Way better than OK! Looks lovely!