diff --git a/lib/Cake/Core/Configure.php b/lib/Cake/Core/Configure.php
index c91212d3d4a..ad1392e883d 100644
--- a/lib/Cake/Core/Configure.php
+++ b/lib/Cake/Core/Configure.php
@@ -287,6 +287,9 @@ public static function drop($name) {
  *
  * `Configure::load('setup', 'default');`
  *
+ * If using `default` config and no reader has been configured for it yet,
+ * one will be automatically created using PhpReader
+ *
  * @link http://book.cakephp.org/view/929/load
  * @param string $key name of configuration resource to load.
  * @param string $config Name of the configured reader to use to read the resource identified by $key.
@@ -296,7 +299,12 @@ public static function drop($name) {
  */
 	public static function load($key, $config = 'default', $merge = true) {
 		if (!isset(self::$_readers[$config])) {
-			return false;
+			if ($config === 'default') {
+				App::uses('PhpReader', 'Configure');
+				self::$_readers[$config] = new PhpReader();
+			} else {
+				return false;
+			}
 		}
 		$values = self::$_readers[$config]->read($key);
 
diff --git a/lib/Cake/Test/Case/Core/ConfigureTest.php b/lib/Cake/Test/Case/Core/ConfigureTest.php
index fdb1475d8ee..8f79c538132 100644
--- a/lib/Cake/Test/Case/Core/ConfigureTest.php
+++ b/lib/Cake/Test/Case/Core/ConfigureTest.php
@@ -191,6 +191,20 @@ public function testLoadExceptionOnNonExistantFile() {
 		$result = Configure::load('non_existing_configuration_file', 'test');
 	}
 
+/**
+ * test load method for default config creation
+ *
+ * @return void
+ */
+	public function testLoadDefaultConfig() {
+		try {
+			Configure::load('non_existing_configuration_file');
+		} catch (Exception $e) {
+			$result = Configure::configured('default');
+			$this->assertTrue($result);
+		}
+	}
+
 /**
  * test load with merging
  *