Strawberry Cream Cake

Both my daughters request this cake for their birthday. It's super easy and looks like it was so much work. I took a 'from scratch' recipe and simplified it.

yellow cake mix
3 eggs, 1/4 cup oil, water (or whatever the cake mix requests)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 pound fresh strawberries
instant vanilla pudding mix (prepared) - (or store bought pudding works in a crunch)
whipped cream (cool whip)

Bake the cake as directed in 2 greased and floured 9 inch round pans, let cool, cut both cakes in 1/2. Rinse and cut strawberries in slices. add sugar and water to make a light syrup, stir to dissolve sugar. Spread 1st layer of cake with pudding and top with 1/3 of strawberries, repeat layer, top with last cake and whip cream and the rest of the strawberries. All done. whala!