Preheat your oven to 350°F and stand 12 sugar cones upright in a muffin tin (they'll fit snugly in the cups). Line the tin with muffin liners if you're worried about them tipping. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt until combined. This takes about a minute and gives you an even base for the cake batter.

Add the eggs, milk, melted butter, and vanilla bean paste to the dry ingredients. Stir everything together until you've got a smooth batter with no lumps visible — don't overmix or your cupcakes get dense. The batter should be pourable but thick enough to hold its shape in the cones.

Carefully spoon the batter into each sugar cone until it's about three-quarters full — don't fill them to the brim or batter spills out during baking. Use an ice cream scoop or measuring spoon to keep portions even so everything bakes at the same rate. This step's a little fussy but you'll get the hang of it by cone number three.

Place the muffin tin with cones in the preheated oven and bake for 18 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. The cones will get a bit darker but that's totally fine — they should look golden, not burnt. I always set a timer because I once got distracted and they cooked for 22 minutes, which was honestly still okay but the cones got really crispy.

Remove from the oven and let the cones cool in the tin for about 5 minutes so they're stable enough to handle. Transfer them carefully to a wire rack and let them cool completely — this usually takes 15 to 20 minutes depending on how warm your kitchen is. Don't frost them while they're hot or your topping will melt right off into a sad puddle.

While the cones cool, fold the whipped topping gently in a bowl with the chocolate chips mixed throughout (or keep them separate if you prefer). You can make ice cream cone cupcakes summer frosting as simple or fancy as you want — some people add a teaspoon of sugar but I skip it. The topping should be fluffy and spreadable but not runny.

Once completely cooled, generously dollop or pipe the whipped topping onto the top of each cone, then sprinkle the rainbow sprinkles and chocolate chips over everything. Add as much or as little as you like — I personally go pretty heavy because that's where the magic happens. Serve immediately or chill until your party starts.