reverted:
--- b/core/modules/config_translation/src/Tests/ConfigEntityTest.php
+++ a/core/modules/config_translation/src/Tests/ConfigEntityTest.php
@@ -35,8 +35,7 @@
   public function testCRUD() {
     $default_langcode = \Drupal::languageManager()->getDefaultLanguage()->getId();
     // Verify default properties on a newly created empty entity.
+    $empty = entity_create('config_test');
-    $storage = \Drupal::entityTypeManager()->getStorage('config_test');
-    $empty = $storage->create();
     $this->assertTrue($empty->uuid());
     $this->assertIdentical($empty->label, NULL);
     $this->assertIdentical($empty->style, NULL);
@@ -77,7 +76,7 @@
     }
 
     // Verify that an entity with an empty ID string is considered empty, too.
+    $empty_id = entity_create('config_test', [
-    $empty_id = $storage->create([
       'id' => '',
     ]);
     $this->assertIdentical($empty_id->isNew(), TRUE);
@@ -90,7 +89,7 @@
     }
 
     // Verify properties on a newly created entity.
+    $config_test = entity_create('config_test', $expected = [
-    $config_test = $storage->create($expected = [
       'id' => $this->randomMachineName(),
       'label' => $this->randomString(),
       'style' => $this->randomMachineName(),
@@ -142,7 +141,7 @@
     // maximum allowed length, but not longer.
 
     // Test with a short ID.
+    $id_length_config_test = entity_create('config_test', [
-    $id_length_config_test = $storage->create([
       'id' => $this->randomMachineName(8),
     ]);
     try {
@@ -156,7 +155,7 @@
     }
 
     // Test with an ID of the maximum allowed length.
+    $id_length_config_test = entity_create('config_test', [
-    $id_length_config_test = $storage->create([
       'id' => $this->randomMachineName(static::MAX_ID_LENGTH),
     ]);
     try {
@@ -170,7 +169,7 @@
     }
 
     // Test with an ID exceeding the maximum allowed length.
+    $id_length_config_test = entity_create('config_test', [
-    $id_length_config_test = $storage->create([
       'id' => $this->randomMachineName(static::MAX_ID_LENGTH + 1),
     ]);
     try {
@@ -189,7 +188,7 @@
 
     // Ensure that creating an entity with the same id as an existing one is not
     // possible.
+    $same_id = entity_create('config_test', [
-    $same_id = $storage->create([
       'id' => $config_test->id(),
     ]);
     $this->assertIdentical($same_id->isNew(), TRUE);
@@ -224,7 +223,7 @@
 
     // Test config entity prepopulation.
     \Drupal::state()->set('config_test.prepopulate', TRUE);
+    $config_test = entity_create('config_test', ['foo' => 'bar']);
-    $config_test = $storage->create(['foo' => 'bar']);
     $this->assertEqual($config_test->get('foo'), 'baz', 'Initial value correctly populated');
   }
 
reverted:
--- b/core/modules/config_translation/src/Tests/ConfigTranslationOverviewTest.php
+++ a/core/modules/config_translation/src/Tests/ConfigTranslationOverviewTest.php
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@
     ];
 
     foreach ($labels as $label) {
+      $test_entity = entity_create('config_test', [
-      $test_entity = \Drupal::entityTypeManager()->getStorage('config_test')->create([
         'id' => $this->randomMachineName(),
         'label' => $label,
       ]);
diff -u b/core/modules/field/tests/src/Functional/EntityReference/EntityReferenceIntegrationTest.php b/core/modules/field/tests/src/Functional/EntityReference/EntityReferenceIntegrationTest.php
--- b/core/modules/field/tests/src/Functional/EntityReference/EntityReferenceIntegrationTest.php
+++ b/core/modules/field/tests/src/Functional/EntityReference/EntityReferenceIntegrationTest.php
@@ -197,9 +197,10 @@
    *   An array of entity objects.
    */
   protected function getTestEntities() {
-    $config_entity_1 = \Drupal::entityTypeManager()->getStorage('config_test')->create(['id' => $this->randomMachineName(), 'label' => $this->randomMachineName()]);
+    $storage = \Drupal::entityTypeManager()->getStorage('config_test');
+    $config_entity_1 = $storage->create(['id' => $this->randomMachineName(), 'label' => $this->randomMachineName()]);
     $config_entity_1->save();
-    $config_entity_2 = \Drupal::entityTypeManager()->getStorage('config_test')->create(['id' => $this->randomMachineName(), 'label' => $this->randomMachineName()]);
+    $config_entity_2 = $storage->create(['id' => $this->randomMachineName(), 'label' => $this->randomMachineName()]);
     $config_entity_2->save();
 
     $content_entity_1 = EntityTest::create(['name' => $this->randomMachineName()]);
diff -u b/core/tests/Drupal/KernelTests/Core/Entity/ConfigEntityQueryTest.php b/core/tests/Drupal/KernelTests/Core/Entity/ConfigEntityQueryTest.php
--- b/core/tests/Drupal/KernelTests/Core/Entity/ConfigEntityQueryTest.php
+++ b/core/tests/Drupal/KernelTests/Core/Entity/ConfigEntityQueryTest.php
@@ -599,8 +599,7 @@
     $key_value = $this->container->get('keyvalue')->get(QueryFactory::CONFIG_LOOKUP_PREFIX . 'config_test');
 
     $test_entities = [];
-    $storage = \Drupal::entityTypeManager()->getStorage('config_test');
-    $entity = $storage->create([
+    $entity = entity_create('config_test', [
       'label' => $this->randomMachineName(),
       'id' => '1',
       'style' => 'test',
@@ -613,7 +612,7 @@
     $expected[] = $entity->getConfigDependencyName();
     $this->assertEqual($expected, $key_value->get('style:test'));
 
-    $entity = $storage->create([
+    $entity = entity_create('config_test', [
       'label' => $this->randomMachineName(),
       'id' => '2',
       'style' => 'test',
@@ -627,7 +626,8 @@
     $key_value = $this->container->get('keyvalue')->get(QueryFactory::CONFIG_LOOKUP_PREFIX . 'config_test');
 
     $test_entities = [];
-    $entity = entity_create('config_test', [
+    $storage = \Drupal::entityTypeManager()->getStorage('config_test');
+    $entity = $storage->create([
       'label' => $this->randomMachineName(),
       'id' => '1',
       'style' => 'test',
@@ -639,7 +639,7 @@
     $expected[] = $entity->getConfigDependencyName();
     $this->assertEqual($expected, $key_value->get('style:test'));
 
-    $entity = entity_create('config_test', [
+    $entity = $storage->create([
       'label' => $this->randomMachineName(),
       'id' => '2',
       'style' => 'test',
only in patch2:
unchanged:
--- a/core/modules/config/tests/src/Functional/ConfigEntityTest.php
+++ b/core/modules/config/tests/src/Functional/ConfigEntityTest.php
@@ -35,7 +35,8 @@ class ConfigEntityTest extends BrowserTestBase {
   public function testCRUD() {
     $default_langcode = \Drupal::languageManager()->getDefaultLanguage()->getId();
     // Verify default properties on a newly created empty entity.
-    $empty = entity_create('config_test');
+    $storage = \Drupal::entityTypeManager()->getStorage('config_test');
+    $empty = $storage->create();
     $this->assertTrue($empty->uuid());
     $this->assertIdentical($empty->label, NULL);
     $this->assertIdentical($empty->style, NULL);
@@ -76,7 +77,7 @@ public function testCRUD() {
     }
 
     // Verify that an entity with an empty ID string is considered empty, too.
-    $empty_id = entity_create('config_test', [
+    $empty_id = $storage->create([
       'id' => '',
     ]);
     $this->assertIdentical($empty_id->isNew(), TRUE);
@@ -89,7 +90,7 @@ public function testCRUD() {
     }
 
     // Verify properties on a newly created entity.
-    $config_test = entity_create('config_test', $expected = [
+    $config_test = $storage->create($expected = [
       'id' => $this->randomMachineName(),
       'label' => $this->randomString(),
       'style' => $this->randomMachineName(),
@@ -141,7 +142,7 @@ public function testCRUD() {
     // maximum allowed length, but not longer.
 
     // Test with a short ID.
-    $id_length_config_test = entity_create('config_test', [
+    $id_length_config_test = $storage->create([
       'id' => $this->randomMachineName(8),
     ]);
     try {
@@ -155,7 +156,7 @@ public function testCRUD() {
     }
 
     // Test with an ID of the maximum allowed length.
-    $id_length_config_test = entity_create('config_test', [
+    $id_length_config_test = $storage->create([
       'id' => $this->randomMachineName(static::MAX_ID_LENGTH),
     ]);
     try {
@@ -169,7 +170,7 @@ public function testCRUD() {
     }
 
     // Test with an ID exceeding the maximum allowed length.
-    $id_length_config_test = entity_create('config_test', [
+    $id_length_config_test = $storage->create([
       'id' => $this->randomMachineName(static::MAX_ID_LENGTH + 1),
     ]);
     try {
@@ -188,7 +189,7 @@ public function testCRUD() {
 
     // Ensure that creating an entity with the same id as an existing one is not
     // possible.
-    $same_id = entity_create('config_test', [
+    $same_id = $storage->create([
       'id' => $config_test->id(),
     ]);
     $this->assertIdentical($same_id->isNew(), TRUE);
@@ -223,7 +224,7 @@ public function testCRUD() {
 
     // Test config entity prepopulation.
     \Drupal::state()->set('config_test.prepopulate', TRUE);
-    $config_test = entity_create('config_test', ['foo' => 'bar']);
+    $config_test = $storage->create(['foo' => 'bar']);
     $this->assertEqual($config_test->get('foo'), 'baz', 'Initial value correctly populated');
   }
 
only in patch2:
unchanged:
--- a/core/modules/config_translation/tests/src/Functional/ConfigTranslationOverviewTest.php
+++ b/core/modules/config_translation/tests/src/Functional/ConfigTranslationOverviewTest.php
@@ -87,8 +87,9 @@ public function testMapperListPage() {
       $this->randomString(),
     ];
 
+    $storage = \Drupal::entityTypeManager()->getStorage('config_test');
     foreach ($labels as $label) {
-      $test_entity = entity_create('config_test', [
+      $test_entity = $storage->create([
         'id' => $this->randomMachineName(),
         'label' => $label,
       ]);