I don't think there's anything wrong with the documentation.
states that I can get the default content configuration of a UICollectionViewCell
The documentation doesn't actually state this. UICollectionViewCell is just a generic cell type where you, as a developer, can customise its contents and layout. So while it does have a defaultBackgroundConfiguration() method, there is no specific default content configuration that can exist.
What the documentation does say is this:
For views like cells, headers, and footers, use their defaultContentConfiguration() to get a list content configuration that has preconfigured default styling. Alternatively, you can create a list content configuration from one of the system default styles.
If you navigate to the defaultContentConfiguration() method, you will see that it is defined on UICollectionViewListCell. This is the type you use for creating standard cells in a list with list-specific features. If you aren't using this type of cell or want different default styling, then you can follow the alternative and use one of the static UIListContentConfiguration methods.
So maybe the documentation can be clearer in specifying UICollectionViewListCell, but I think its inferred with all of the list types, detailed further in sample projects and other documentation pages, and also the fact that you are creating a list.