diff --git a/lib/Cake/Core/Configure.php b/lib/Cake/Core/Configure.php
index 18c85589d..c778fc0be 100644
--- a/lib/Cake/Core/Configure.php
+++ b/lib/Cake/Core/Configure.php
@@ -190,6 +190,30 @@ class Configure {
 		return Hash::get(self::$_values, $var);
 	}
 
+/**
+ * Used to read and delete a variable from Configure.
+ *
+ * This is primarily used during bootstrapping to move configuration data
+ * out of configure into the various other classes in CakePHP.
+ *
+ * @param string $var The key to read and remove.
+ * @return array|null
+ */
+	public static function consume($var) {
+		$simple = strpos($var, '.') === false;
+		if ($simple && !isset(self::$_values[$var])) {
+			return null;
+		}
+		if ($simple) {
+			$value = self::$_values[$var];
+			unset(self::$_values[$var]);
+			return $value;
+		}
+		$value = Hash::get(self::$_values, $var);
+		self::$_values = Hash::remove(self::$_values, $var);
+		return $value;
+	}
+
 /**
  * Returns true if given variable is set in Configure.
  *
diff --git a/lib/Cake/Test/Case/Core/ConfigureTest.php b/lib/Cake/Test/Case/Core/ConfigureTest.php
index f91218418..717b52bc5 100644
--- a/lib/Cake/Test/Case/Core/ConfigureTest.php
+++ b/lib/Cake/Test/Case/Core/ConfigureTest.php
@@ -148,6 +148,26 @@ class ConfigureTest extends CakeTestCase {
 		$this->assertEquals('4', $result);
 	}
 
+/**
+ * Test the consume method.
+ *
+ * @return void
+ */
+	public function testConsume() {
+		$this->assertNull(Configure::consume('DoesNotExist'), 'Should be null on empty value');
+		Configure::write('Test', ['key' => 'value', 'key2' => 'value2']);
+
+		$result = Configure::consume('Test.key');
+		$this->assertEquals('value', $result);
+
+		$result = Configure::read('Test.key2');
+		$this->assertEquals('value2', $result, 'Other values should remain.');
+
+		$result = Configure::consume('Test');
+		$expected = ['key2' => 'value2'];
+		$this->assertEquals($expected, $result);
+	}
+
 /**
  * test setting display_errors with debug.
  *