Make the filling at least 4 hours before making the cake as it will need to cool down and chill. It can also be made the day before and kept in the fridge until ready to use.

Add the strawberries, sugar and lemon juice to a large saucepan. Heat on medium and bring to a simmer. Let it simmer for several minutes until the strawberries break down a little and the mixture thickens up. Stir frequently. You may also use a potato masher to mash up the strawberries a bit while it's heating.

Mix the warm water and cornstarch in a measuring cup until well mixed, then pour into the strawberry mixture.

Stir well and allow the mixture to lightly simmer for about a minute until it thickens, then remove from the heat.

Feel free to add red food coloring to make this filling a stronger or brighter red color.

Allow the filling to cool to room temperature, then cover it and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Grease and flour two, 8-inch round cake pans and set aside.

Make sure to set the cold ingredients out, so they can come closer to room temperature before making the batter. This will keep the batter from clumping up and will help it mix better.

In a medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Whisk well and set aside.

In another bowl, add the oil, sour cream, milk, and vanilla extract. Whisk well and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, add the room-temperature butter and the sugar and mix with an electric mixer on medium-high for several minutes until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs one at a time, and mix on low-medium but only for about 20 seconds after adding each egg.

Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix again on medium, only until everything is well incorporated.

Alternately add in the dry mixture and the liquid mixture to the butter mixture, starting and ending with the dry mixture.

Be very careful only to mix until just combined.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again only for 7-10 seconds or so.

Pour the batter into the two prepared, 8-inch round cake pans, smooth the batter evenly and bake at 325 degrees F on the middle rack for approximately 45-50 minutes.

Remove the cake layers from the oven and place them on a wire rack, still inside the pans, for about 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes turn the cake layers out of the pans and set them onto the cooling racks and allow them to cool completely before adding filling and frosting.

In a large mixing bowl, add the room-temperature cream cheese and butter and mix with an electric mixer on medium-high until smooth.

Add the confectioner's sugar, vanilla and salt and mix on medium until combined, then on medium-high until smooth.

Add milk if needed to reach desired consistency and mix well.

Whip for several minutes on medium-high until fluffy.

Cover the bowl and set aside until the cake has cooled down.

Make sure the cake has cooled completely and that the strawberry filling is chilled.

Level the tops of the cake layers if needed.

Add a layer of the cake to a cake plate, then add a bit of the cream cheese frosting.

Add ⅔ of the strawberry filling. Try not to add the filling close to the edges of the cake layer.

Add the last layer of cake, then cover the entire sides and top of the cake with the remaining frosting.

Feel free to add more of the strawberry filling on the top of the cake, or leave the cake covered only in the frosting.