Start by spraying a 9×13-inch baking pan with nonstick spray. This will ensure that your casserole doesn’t stick.
Place half of the cubed bread into the prepared baking pan and set it aside.
In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer to beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the powdered sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla extract, beating until well mixed.
Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the bread in the baking pan.
Sprinkle 2 cups of strawberries evenly over the cream cheese layer, saving the remaining 1 cup for topping after baking.
Evenly place the remaining half of the bread cubes over the strawberry layer.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs well. Add the milk, heavy cream, granulated sugar, syrup, vanilla, and cinnamon. Whisk until well mixed.
Pour the wet mixture evenly over the top bread layer, using a spatula to lightly push all the bread down into the wet mixture.
Cover the baking pan with plastic wrap and let it chill in the refrigerator overnight or at least for 8 hours. This step is crucial for the bread to soak up all the liquid.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and remove the casserole from the refrigerator while the oven preheats.
For the crumble, combine the brown sugar, flour, and melted butter with a fork. Use your hands to sprinkle this mixture evenly over the casserole right before baking.
Cover the baking pan with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. After that, remove the foil and bake for an additional 35 minutes. By the end of 55 minutes, the top should look lightly toasted, and the middle should no longer look wet.
If the middle still appears wet, bake for an additional 5 minutes.
Once baked, sprinkle the remaining strawberries over the casserole before serving warm with pancake syrup if desired.
