Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line your muffin pan with cupcake liners.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the vegetable oil, sugar, and vanilla extract. Use an electric mixer to blend until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, sea salt, ground ginger, and ground cloves. Gradually add this to the wet mixture, alternating with the buttermilk, starting and ending with flour. Mix until just combined.
Gently fold in the finely grated carrots using a rubber spatula until evenly distributed.
Divide the batter among the cupcake liners, filling each about two-thirds full. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
For the frosting, beat together the softened cream cheese and room temperature butter until smooth. Gradually add in the sifted powdered sugar and vanilla extract until fluffy.
Once cooled, frost each cupcake generously with the cream cheese frosting using a piping bag or spatula.
