Pumpkin Cheesecake with Whole-Wheat Crust

INGREDIENTS
CRUST
2 cups whole-wheat bread crumbs
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup light brown sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
½ teaspoon salt

FILLING
1 ½ pounds cream cheese, softened
1 ½ cups cooked, mashed pumpkin
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground ginger
Zest of 1 lemon
4 large eggs
1 cup heavy cream

DIRECTIONS
PREHEAT oven to 500°F. To make the crust, combine the bread crumbs, sugars, butter, and salt in a medium bowl until the bread crumbs are thoroughly coated. Press the mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch spring-form pan.

FOR THE FILLING, cream the cheese, pumpkin, sugar, vanilla extract, spices, and lemon zest together. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then the cream, and blend until smooth (if the batter is still lumpy, you can press it through a sieve). Pour the batter into the prepared pan, place in the oven, and immediately reduce the heat to 325°F.

Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the filling is set. Cool thoroughly at room temperature before chilling.

Recipe and photo by Panera Bread