1. Preheat Oven and Prepare Pan:

• Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
• Generously grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.

2. Layer the Strawberry Filling:

• Spread the entire can of strawberry pie filling evenly over the bottom of the prepared baking dish.

3. Prepare and Layer the Cheesecake Mixture:

• In a medium bowl, combine the softened cream cheese, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract.
• Beat with an electric mixer (or whisk vigorously by hand) until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
• Dollop spoonfuls of the cream cheese mixture evenly over the strawberry pie filling layer.
• Gently spread the cream cheese mixture to cover the strawberry layer as much as possible (it doesn’t need to be perfectly sealed or smooth).

4. Add the Dry Cake Mix Topping:

• Sprinkle the dry cake mix directly from the box evenly over the cream cheese layer. Ensure coverage across the entire surface.

5. Add Butter and Milk:

• Drizzle the melted butter as evenly as possible over the top of the dry cake mix.
• Drizzle the milk as evenly as possible over the top of the dry cake mix and melted butter. Try to moisten most of the dry mix.

6. Bake:

• Place the baking dish in the preheated oven.
• Bake for 40-45 minutes. The cake is done when the topping is golden brown, bubbly around the edges, and appears mostly set.

7. Cool and Serve:

• Allow the Strawberry Cheesecake Dump Cake to cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 10-15 minutes (ideally longer, closer to 45 minutes as suggested in original steps) before slicing and serving. It will be very hot and needs time to set up slightly as it cools.
• Optionally, dust with powdered sugar just before serving.
• Serve warm, perhaps with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and garnish with fresh strawberries if desired.