diff --git a/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Entity/EntityViewBuilder.php b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Entity/EntityViewBuilder.php
index 4a207a6..f4433c0 100644
--- a/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Entity/EntityViewBuilder.php
+++ b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Entity/EntityViewBuilder.php
@@ -149,11 +149,28 @@ protected function getBuildDefaults(EntityInterface $entity, $view_mode, $langco
       '#langcode' => $langcode,
     );
 
+    // Collect cache defaults for this entity.
     $build = $this->getBuildCacheDefaults($build, $entity, $view_mode, $langcode);
 
     return $build;
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Provides entity-specific cache defaults to the build process.
+   *
+   * @param array $build
+   *   A renderable  array containing build information and context for an
+   *   entity view.
+   * @param \Drupal\Core\Entity\EntityInterface $entity
+   *   The entity for which the defaults should be provided.
+   * @param string $view_mode
+   *   The view mode that should be used.
+   * @param string $langcode
+   *   (optional) For which language the entity should be prepared, defaults to
+   *   the current content language.
+   *
+   * @return array
+   */
   protected function getBuildCacheDefaults(array $build, EntityInterface $entity, $view_mode, $langcode) {
     $build += array(
       '#cache' => array(
@@ -183,11 +200,15 @@ protected function getBuildCacheDefaults(array $build, EntityInterface $entity,
   }
 
   /**
-   * Builds an entity's view on an entity view; augments entity defaults.
+   * Builds an entity's view; augments entity defaults.
    *
    * This function is assigned as a #pre_render callback in
    * \Drupal\Core\Entity\EntityViewBuilder::getBuildDefaults().
    *
+   * By delaying the building of an entity until the #pre_render processing in
+   * drupal_render(), the processing cost of assembling an entity's renderable
+   * array is saved on cache-hit requests.
+   *
    * @param array $build
    *   A renderable  array containing build information and context for an
    *   entity view.
@@ -215,28 +236,32 @@ public function entityViewBuilderBuildSingle(array $build) {
     $build = $build_per_entity[$id];
 
     // Allow for alterations while building, before rendering.
-    $this->moduleHandler()->invokeAll($view_hook, array(&$build, $entity, $display, $view_mode, $langcode));
-    $this->moduleHandler()->invokeAll('entity_view', array(&$build, $entity, $display, $view_mode, $langcode));
-    $this->alterBuild($build, $entity, $display, $view_mode, $langcode);
+    $this->callViewHooks($build, $entity, $display, $view_mode, $langcode);
 
-    // Assign the weights configured in the display.
-    // @todo: Once https://drupal.org/node/1875974 provides the missing API,
-    //   only do it for 'extra fields', since other components have been taken
-    //   care of in EntityViewDisplay::buildMultiple().
-    foreach ($display->getComponents() as $name => $options) {
-      if (isset($build[$name])) {
-        $build[$name]['#weight'] = $options['weight'];
-      }
-    }
-
-    // Allow modules to modify the render array.
-    \Drupal::moduleHandler()->alter(array($view_hook, 'entity_view'), $build, $entity, $display);
     return $build;
   }
 
   /**
+   * Builds multiple entities' views; augments entity defaults.
+   *
+   * This function is assigned as a #pre_render callback in
+   * \Drupal\Core\Entity\EntityViewBuilder::viewMultiple(). Each entity will
+   * also have a #pre_render callback in its build array for single building.
+   * That callback in removed for entities built in this multiple handling
+   * process so that any entity is only built once.
+   *
+   * By delaying the building of an entity until the #pre_render processing in
+   * drupal_render(), the processing cost of assembling an entity's renderable
+   * array is saved on cache-hit requests.
+   *
    * @param array $build
+   *   A renderable  array containing build information and context for an
+   *   entity view.
+   *
    * @return array
+   *   The updated renderable array.
+   *
+   * @see drupal_render()
    */
   public function entityViewBuilderBuildMultiple(array $build) {
     // Build the view modes and display objects.
@@ -244,67 +269,79 @@ public function entityViewBuilderBuildMultiple(array $build) {
     $langcode = $build['#langcode'];
     $entity_type_key = "#{$this->entityTypeId}";
 
-    // Find the keys for the ContentEntities in the build.
+    // Find the keys for the ContentEntities in the build; Store entities for
+    // rendering by view_mode.
     $children = Element::children($build);
-    $entity_keys = array();
-
     foreach($children as $key) {
       if (isset($build[$key][$entity_type_key])) {
         $entity = $build[$key][$entity_type_key];
         if ($entity instanceof ContentEntityInterface) {
-          $entity_keys[] = $key;
+          $view_modes[$build[$key]['#view_mode']][$key] = $entity;
         }
       }
     }
 
-    // Store entities for rendering by view_mode.
-    foreach($entity_keys as $key) {
-      $entity = $build[$key][$entity_type_key];
-      $view_modes[$build[$key]['#view_mode']][$key] = $entity;
-    }
-
     // Build content for the displays represented by the entities.
-    foreach ($view_modes as $mode => $view_mode_entities) {
-      $displays[$mode] = EntityViewDisplay::collectRenderDisplays($view_mode_entities, $mode);
-      $this->buildContent($build, $view_mode_entities, $displays[$mode], $mode, $langcode);
-      // Remove the single pre_render function from the multiple build items.
+    foreach ($view_modes as $view_mode => $view_mode_entities) {
+      $displays = EntityViewDisplay::collectRenderDisplays($view_mode_entities, $view_mode);
+      $this->buildContent($build, $view_mode_entities, $displays, $view_mode, $langcode);
       foreach (array_keys($view_mode_entities) as $key) {
-        $pre_render = $build[$key]['#pre_render'];
+        // Remove the single item pre_render function from the multiple build items.
+        $pre_render = $build[$key]['#pre_render'] ?: array();
         foreach ($pre_render as $index => $callable) {
           if (is_array($callable) && $callable[1] === 'entityViewBuilderBuildSingle') {
             unset($build[$key]['#pre_render'][$index]);
           }
         }
+        // Allow for alterations while building, before rendering.
+        $entity = $build[$key][$entity_type_key];
+        $display = $displays[$entity->bundle()];
+        $this->callViewHooks($build[$key], $entity, $display, $view_mode, $langcode);
       }
     }
 
+    return $build;
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Wraps calls to the various hook invocations for entity view building.
+   *
+   * The hook invocations are shared between entityViewBuilderBuildSingle() and
+   * entityViewBuilderBuildMultiple().
+   *
+   * @param array &$build
+   *   The render array that is being created.
+   * @param \Drupal\Core\Entity\EntityInterface $entity
+   *   The entity to be prepared.
+   * @param \Drupal\Core\Entity\Display\EntityViewDisplayInterface $display
+   *   The entity view display holding the display options configured for the
+   *   entity components.
+   * @param string $view_mode
+   *   The view mode that should be used to prepare the entity.
+   * @param string $langcode
+   *   For which language the entity should be prepared, defaults to
+   *   the current content language.
+   */
+  private function callViewHooks(array &$build, EntityInterface $entity, EntityViewDisplayInterface $display, $view_mode, $langcode) {
     $view_hook = "{$this->entityTypeId}_view";
-    foreach ($entity_keys as $key) {
-      $entity = $build[$key][$entity_type_key];
-      $view_mode = $build[$key]['#view_mode'];
-      $display = $displays[$view_mode][$entity->bundle()];
-      // Allow for alterations while building, before rendering.
-      $this->moduleHandler()->invokeAll($view_hook, array(&$build[$key], $entity, $display, $view_mode, $langcode));
-      $this->moduleHandler()->invokeAll('entity_view', array(&$build[$key], $entity, $display, $view_mode, $langcode));
-
-      $this->alterBuild($build[$key], $entity, $display, $view_mode, $langcode);
-
-      // Assign the weights configured in the display.
-      // @todo: Once https://drupal.org/node/1875974 provides the missing API,
-      //   only do it for 'extra fields', since other components have been taken
-      //   care of in EntityViewDisplay::buildMultiple().
-      foreach ($display->getComponents() as $name => $options) {
-        if (isset($build[$key][$name])) {
-          $build[$key]['#weight'] = $options['weight'];
-        }
-      }
 
-      // Allow modules to modify the render array.
-      \Drupal::moduleHandler()->alter(array($view_hook, 'entity_view'), $build[$key], $entity, $display);
+    $this->moduleHandler()->invokeAll($view_hook, array(&$build, $entity, $display, $view_mode, $langcode));
+    $this->moduleHandler()->invokeAll('entity_view', array(&$build, $entity, $display, $view_mode, $langcode));
 
+    $this->alterBuild($build, $entity, $display, $view_mode, $langcode);
+
+    // Assign the weights configured in the display.
+    // @todo: Once https://drupal.org/node/1875974 provides the missing API,
+    //   only do it for 'extra fields', since other components have been taken
+    //   care of in EntityViewDisplay::buildMultiple().
+    foreach ($display->getComponents() as $name => $options) {
+      if (isset($build[$name])) {
+        $build['#weight'] = $options['weight'];
+      }
     }
 
-    return $build;
+    // Allow modules to modify the render array.
+    \Drupal::moduleHandler()->alter(array($view_hook, 'entity_view'), $build, $entity, $display);
   }
 
   /**