whipped cream icing beforehand vs right before serving
Whipped cream can be made with unflavored gelatin, so that it will hold its shape for hours; that is how bakeries do it. I did not find it difficult to do the first time I tried it, and was really pleased at how reliably it held up.

http://ourbestbites.com/2015/11/how-to-make-stabilized-whipped-cream/

There are other techniques, but this is an example of how to do it.