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1
Use additional butter to grease a 12-cup pudding mold. Fill a large pasta pot fitted with a steamer insert with enough water to come halfway up mold; set aside. Mix all of the flour, spices, and salt in a bowl; set aside. Put brandy, raisins and currants into a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer for just a second. Remove from heat; let stand 15 - 30 minutes. Drain; discard liquid. Set raisins and currants aside.
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2
Cut the tops off persimmons. Spoon out flesh, and rub through a sieve into a bowl (you should have 1 1/2 cups persimmon puree). Whisk in milk; set aside.
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3
Combine butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Mix in eggs, vanilla, and lemon juice. Mix in persimmon mixture. Mix in baking soda mixture. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Stir in pecans, raisins, currants, and ginger. Pour into prepared mold; cover with buttered lid. I've never had a problem, but I always tie some string around the lid and it's tabs to ensure that it cannot come off when I lift the mold out of the boiling water.
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4
Bring the water in the pasta pot to a boil; reduce heat to a simmer. Carefully lower mold into steamer. Cover pot, and steam until a cake tester inserted in center comes out clean, 3 to 3 1/2 hours (3 hours was perfect for my mold), checking water level every half hour or so (add boiling water if the level drops to 1/4 of the way up the side of the mold).
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5
Place mold on a wire rack; remove lid. Let cool 20 minutes. Invert mold onto a cake stand or plate, and cut into slices. Serve with brandy whipped cream.
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6
Whip cream and sugar until soft peaks form. Briefly mix in Brandy.
