diff --git a/cake/libs/xml.php b/cake/libs/xml.php
index 3c79eb630..1a2048800 100644
--- a/cake/libs/xml.php
+++ b/cake/libs/xml.php
@@ -201,6 +201,7 @@ class XmlNode extends Object {
 		}
 
 		$tagOpts = $this->__tagOptions($name);
+
 		if ($tagOpts === false) {
 			return;
 		}
@@ -221,7 +222,6 @@ class XmlNode extends Object {
 		$attributes = array();
 		$children = array();
 		$chldObjs = array();
-		$document =& $this->document();
 
 		if (is_object($object)) {
 			$chldObjs = get_object_vars($object);
@@ -239,7 +239,12 @@ class XmlNode extends Object {
 			$node->createTextNode($chldObjs[$tagOpts['value']]);
 			unset($chldObjs[$tagOpts['value']]);
 		}
-		unset($chldObjs['_name_']);
+
+		$n = $name;
+		if (!empty($chldObjs['_name_'])) {
+			$n = null;
+			unset($chldObjs['_name_']);
+		}
 		$c = 0;
 
 		foreach ($chldObjs as $key => $val) {
@@ -247,14 +252,11 @@ class XmlNode extends Object {
 				$attributes[$key] = $val;
 			} else {
 				if (!isset($tagOpts['children']) || $tagOpts['children'] === array() || (is_array($tagOpts['children']) && in_array($key, $tagOpts['children']))) {
-					$n = $key;
-
-					if (is_numeric($n)) {
-						$n = $name;
+					if (!is_numeric($key)) {
+						$n = $key;
 					}
 					if (is_array($val)) {
-						foreach ($val as $i => $obj2) {
-							$n2 = $i;
+						foreach ($val as $n2 => $obj2) {
 							if (is_numeric($n2)) {
 								$n2 = $n;
 							}
@@ -262,6 +264,7 @@ class XmlNode extends Object {
 						}
 					} else {
 						if (is_object($val)) {
+
 							$node->normalize($val, $n, $options);
 						} elseif ($options['format'] == 'tags' && $this->__tagOptions($key) !== false) {
 							$tmp =& $node->createElement($key);
@@ -630,7 +633,6 @@ class XmlNode extends Object {
 				if ($options['whitespace']) {
 					$d .= "\n";
 				}
-
 				$count = count($this->children);
 				$cDepth = $depth + 1;
 				for ($i = 0; $i < $count; $i++) {
diff --git a/cake/tests/cases/libs/view/helpers/xml.test.php b/cake/tests/cases/libs/view/helpers/xml.test.php
index 514de9495..c7b1bae73 100644
--- a/cake/tests/cases/libs/view/helpers/xml.test.php
+++ b/cake/tests/cases/libs/view/helpers/xml.test.php
@@ -202,7 +202,7 @@ class XmlHelperTest extends CakeTestCase {
 		$result = $this->Xml->serialize($data, array('format' => 'tags'));
 		$expected = '<service_day><service_time><service_time_price><dollar>1</dollar><cents>2</cents></service_time_price></service_time></service_day>';
 		$this->assertIdentical($result, $expected);
-
+		
 		$data = array(
 			'Pages' => array('id' => 2, 'url' => 'http://www.url.com/rb/153/?id=bbbb&t=access')
 		);
@@ -210,6 +210,24 @@ class XmlHelperTest extends CakeTestCase {
 		$expected = '<pages id="2" url="http://www.url.com/rb/153/?id=bbbb&amp;t=access" />';
 		$this->assertIdentical($result, $expected);
 	}
+/**
+ * testSerializeOnMultiDimensionalArray method
+ *
+ * @access public
+ * @return void
+ */
+	function testSerializeOnMultiDimensionalArray() {
+		$data = array(
+			'Statuses' => array(
+				array('Status' => array('id' => 1)),
+				array('Status' => array('id' => 2))
+			)
+		);
+		$result = $this->Xml->serialize($data, array('format' => 'tags'));
+		$expected = '<statuses><status><id>1</id></status><status><id>2</id></status></statuses>';
+		$this->assertIdentical($result, $expected);
+
+	}
 /**
  * testHeader method
  *
diff --git a/cake/tests/cases/libs/xml.test.php b/cake/tests/cases/libs/xml.test.php
index 386a9d94b..e53a452e8 100644
--- a/cake/tests/cases/libs/xml.test.php
+++ b/cake/tests/cases/libs/xml.test.php
@@ -98,6 +98,25 @@ class XmlTest extends CakeTestCase {
 		$this->assertEqual($result, $expected);
 	}
 
+/**
+ * testSerializeOnMultiDimensionalArray method
+ *
+ * @access public
+ * @return void
+ */
+	function testSerializeOnMultiDimensionalArray() {
+		$data = array(
+			'Statuses' => array(
+				array('Status' => array('id' => 1)),
+				array('Status' => array('id' => 2))
+			)
+		);
+		$result =& new Xml($data, array('format' => 'tags'));
+		$expected = '<statuses><status><id>1</id></status><status><id>2</id></status></statuses>';
+		$this->assertIdentical($result->toString(), $expected);
+
+	}
+
 /**
  * test serialization of boolean and null values.  false = 0, true = 1, null = ''
  *
@@ -118,7 +137,7 @@ class XmlTest extends CakeTestCase {
 		$result = $xml->toString(false);
 		$expected = '<data example="" />';
 		$this->assertEqual($result, $expected, 'Boolean values incorrectly handled. %s');
-		
+
 		$xml =& new Xml(array('data' => array('example' => 0)));
 		$result = $xml->toString(false);
 		$expected = '<data example="0" />';