diff --git a/core/modules/field/lib/Drupal/field/Tests/DisplayApiTest.php b/core/modules/field/lib/Drupal/field/Tests/DisplayApiTest.php
index 6f7d159..0933641 100644
--- a/core/modules/field/lib/Drupal/field/Tests/DisplayApiTest.php
+++ b/core/modules/field/lib/Drupal/field/Tests/DisplayApiTest.php
@@ -210,4 +210,36 @@ function testFieldViewValue() {
       $this->assertText($setting . '|' . $value['value'], format_string('Value @delta was displayed with expected setting.', array('@delta' => $delta)));
     }
   }
+
+  /**
+   * Tests that the prepareView() formatter method still fires for empty values.
+   */
+  function testFieldEmpty() {
+    // Uses \Drupal\field_test\Plugin\field\formatter\TestFieldEmptyFormatter.
+    $display = array(
+      'label' => 'hidden',
+      'type' => 'field_empty_test',
+      'settings' => array(
+        'test_empty_string' => '**EMPTY FIELD**' . $this->randomName(),
+      ),
+    );
+    // $this->entity is set by the setUp() method and by default contains 4
+    // numeric values.  We only want to test the display of this one field.
+    $output = field_view_field($this->entity, $this->field_name, $display);
+    $view = drupal_render($output);
+    $this->content = $view;
+    // The test field by default contains values, so should not display the
+    // default "empty" text.
+    $this->assertNoText($display['settings']['test_empty_string']);
+
+    // Now remove the values from the test field and retest.
+    $this->entity->{$this->field_name}[LANGUAGE_NOT_SPECIFIED] = array();
+    field_test_entity_save($this->entity);
+    $output = field_view_field($this->entity, $this->field_name, $display);
+    $view = drupal_render($output);
+    $this->content = $view;
+    // This time, as the field values have been removed, we *should* show the
+    // default "empty" text.
+    $this->assertText($display['settings']['test_empty_string']);
+  }
 }
diff --git a/core/modules/field/tests/modules/field_test/lib/Drupal/field_test/Plugin/field/formatter/TestFieldEmptyFormatter.php b/core/modules/field/tests/modules/field_test/lib/Drupal/field_test/Plugin/field/formatter/TestFieldEmptyFormatter.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cc0e125
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/modules/field/tests/modules/field_test/lib/Drupal/field_test/Plugin/field/formatter/TestFieldEmptyFormatter.php
@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+<?php
+
+/**
+ * @file
+ *
+ * Contains \Drupal\field_test\Plugin\field\formatter\TestFieldEmptyFormatter.
+ */
+namespace Drupal\field_test\Plugin\field\formatter;
+
+use Drupal\Component\Annotation\Plugin;
+use Drupal\Core\Annotation\Translation;
+use Drupal\Core\Entity\EntityInterface;
+use Drupal\field\Plugin\Type\Formatter\FormatterBase;
+
+/**
+ * Plugin implementation of the 'field_empty_test' formatter.
+ *
+ * @Plugin(
+ *   id = "field_empty_test",
+ *   module = "field_test",
+ *   label = @Translation("Field empty test"),
+ *   field_types = {
+ *     "test_field",
+ *   },
+ *   settings = {
+ *     "test_empty_string" = "**EMPTY FIELD**"
+ *   }
+ * )
+ */
+class TestFieldEmptyFormatter extends FormatterBase {
+
+  /**
+   * {@inheritdoc}
+   */
+  public function viewElements(EntityInterface $entity, $langcode, array $items) {
+    $elements = array();
+
+    if (!empty($items)) {
+      foreach ($items as $delta => $item) {
+        // This formatter only needs to output raw for testing.
+        $elements[$delta] = array('#markup' => $item['value']);
+      }
+    }
+
+    return $elements;
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * {@inheritdoc}
+   */
+  public function prepareView(array $entities, $langcode, array &$items) {
+    foreach ($items as $id => $item) {
+      if (empty($item)) {
+        // For fields with no value, just add the configured "empty" value.
+        $items[$id][0]['value'] = $this->getSetting('test_empty_string');
+      }
+    }
+  }
+}