Significant Birthday Cake - 48 hrs notice - go!

[NeverRTFT]

I have just discovered that I need to produce a birthday cake to feed about 10-12 people at a party on Sunday for a family member's major milestone birthday.
I'm competent to do the sponge (victoria or madeira) and buttercream. I'm not very creative but DD is and has piping bags and nozzles etc.
I'm looking for a cake idea that is tried and trusted, simple but high impact. Needs the wow factor, but with minimal faff and no chance of it going wrong as I'll be doing this in a last minute rush tomorrow after I can get to the shops for ingredients. Then taking it in the car for an hour to the party house on Sunday morning.

I'd like your ideas for recipes / designs please MNers!

It looks homely and it will be great piled with fruit.

I can see that you coated the cake in buttercream first before adding the drip layer.

OP just buy a bar of white chocolate and put shavings on the top and a few well placed raspberries and blueberries.
Be sure they're dry though, I would risk not washing them.
More raspberries and blueberries around the base, perfect.

Worked for me in the past..but may be cheating…is a lidl chocolate birthday cake ( surprisingly nice) slice off the top and put your own frosting a d strawberries etc on. Was every bit as nice as posh one from cake shop that mil paid £30 (!) for.

Well done, OP, bet it will taste fantastic and with lots of beautiful vibrant soft fruit piled on top will look great too.

Pile that up with berries and maybe a few flowers, and you're good to go.

Op, it looks like piled up as you say it will be (or has now been) amazing! Pretty please post a pic of the finished masterpiece!

Sorry, cross posted! Don’t mean to say lidl would be better! Yours looks absolutely scrumptious

@Orangedaisy

While it definitely doesn’t look like something off Instagram it will taste amazing. Fruit will lift it. Genuine question and not trying to be mean, but don’t drip cakes need an icing layer under the drip layer? Is yours straight on the cake? I’ve never tried to make one so educating myself.

I only ever do my drip cakes on buttercream but you do need to make sure the buttercream has set.

I put the whole thing in the fridge beforehand so that the drip sets as fast as it's dripping due to the buttercream being cold.

I also use a plastic bottle with a screw nozzle top and a cake turntable - so much easier to control!

I agree OP, pile it with fruit and it'll look fine!!!