Preheat your oven to 350°F and prepare two 9-inch round cake pans by greasing them, lining the bottoms with parchment paper, and sprinkling sugar over the surfaces.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, eggs, water, and softened butter. Beat on low speed until moistened, then switch to medium speed and beat for 2 minutes until fully combined.

Pour the batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans. Bake for 30 minutes, checking for doneness with a toothpick.

Let the cakes cool in their pans for 10 minutes before transferring to cooling racks to cool completely.

Level the tops of the cooled cake layers with a serrated knife if needed.

In a mixing bowl, beat the softened cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla extract until smooth.

In a separate well-chilled bowl, whip the heavy cream on high until stiff peaks form.

Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture gently until fully combined.

Transfer the frosting into a large zip-top bag for easy piping.

Place the first cake layer on a serving plate and spread half of the frosting on top, then layer half of the sliced strawberries.

Place the second cake layer on top and pipe the remaining frosting over it. Decorate with the remaining sliced strawberries.