Use cooking spray to grease the bottom and sides of a 9x13 pan; set aside.

Cut the bread into 1 ½ inch cubes and add about ⅔ of the bread cubes into the bottom of the dish.

In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese and ⅓ c sugar and stir until smooth.

Spoon the cream cheese mixture over the first layer of bread cubes in dollops throughout

Sprinkle the sliced strawberries evenly throughout on next followed by the remainder of the bread cubes. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs. Then whisk in the milk, ½ c sugar and vanilla.

Pour the egg mixture into the pan. Press the bread cubes down to help each cube soak up some of the liquid. Cover the casserole with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes to 1 hour. (It can and refrigerate overnight if you'd like to make it ahead!)

In the morning (or when you're ready to bake it), preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Bake the casserole (uncovered) for 45-50 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees and the top is golden brown.

Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired, and serve with maple syrup.