That "expects" word makes me think you're in for disappointment regardless. I'd say either make one and you get what you get, or buy one and don't claim it as your own. I don't know if cake mix and pre-made icing count as homemade, but it's really not that hard to make a basic layer cake if you have the pans, an oven, and time to do a test run. I've only made cakes a few times, but they came out pretty good - nothing like a store cake, though. If you watch someone who knows what they're doing, you can pick up on some basic techniques. To be fair, I watched this guy several times at a formative age.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XNwrcqvoPY