diff --git a/django/conf/global_settings.py b/django/conf/global_settings.py
index a88ea409f6..4711baad66 100644
--- a/django/conf/global_settings.py
+++ b/django/conf/global_settings.py
@@ -464,11 +464,12 @@ SESSION_FILE_PATH = None                                # Directory to store ses
 # CACHE #
 #########
 
-# New format
+# The cache backends to use.
 CACHES = {
+    'default': {
+        'BACKEND': 'django.core.cache.backends.locmem.LocMemCache',
+    }
 }
-# The cache backend to use.  See the docstring in django.core.cache for the
-# possible values.
 CACHE_MIDDLEWARE_KEY_PREFIX = ''
 CACHE_MIDDLEWARE_SECONDS = 600
 CACHE_MIDDLEWARE_ALIAS = 'default'
diff --git a/django/core/cache/__init__.py b/django/core/cache/__init__.py
index d8095d4e51..8f07f13d3a 100644
--- a/django/core/cache/__init__.py
+++ b/django/core/cache/__init__.py
@@ -64,42 +64,6 @@ def parse_backend_uri(backend_uri):
 
     return scheme, host, params
 
-if not settings.CACHES:
-    legacy_backend = getattr(settings, 'CACHE_BACKEND', None)
-    if legacy_backend:
-        import warnings
-        warnings.warn(
-            "settings.CACHE_* is deprecated; use settings.CACHES instead.",
-            DeprecationWarning
-        )
-    else:
-        # The default cache setting is put here so that we
-        # can differentiate between a user who has provided
-        # an explicit CACHE_BACKEND of locmem://, and the
-        # default value. When the deprecation cycle has completed,
-        # the default can be restored to global_settings.py
-        settings.CACHE_BACKEND = 'locmem://'
-
-    # Mapping for new-style cache backend api
-    backend_classes = {
-        'memcached': 'memcached.CacheClass',
-        'locmem': 'locmem.LocMemCache',
-        'file': 'filebased.FileBasedCache',
-        'db': 'db.DatabaseCache',
-        'dummy': 'dummy.DummyCache',
-    }
-    engine, host, params = parse_backend_uri(settings.CACHE_BACKEND)
-    if engine in backend_classes:
-        engine = 'django.core.cache.backends.%s' % backend_classes[engine]
-    else:
-        engine = '%s.CacheClass' % engine
-    defaults = {
-        'BACKEND': engine,
-        'LOCATION': host,
-    }
-    defaults.update(params)
-    settings.CACHES[DEFAULT_CACHE_ALIAS] = defaults
-
 if DEFAULT_CACHE_ALIAS not in settings.CACHES:
     raise ImproperlyConfigured("You must define a '%s' cache" % DEFAULT_CACHE_ALIAS)
 
diff --git a/docs/internals/deprecation.txt b/docs/internals/deprecation.txt
index 2f594536c5..b1b5a4035e 100644
--- a/docs/internals/deprecation.txt
+++ b/docs/internals/deprecation.txt
@@ -186,6 +186,8 @@ these changes.
   library earlier than 2.1. An accelerated timeline was used as this was
   a security related deprecation.
 
+* The ``CACHE_BACKEND`` setting will be removed. The cache backend(s) should be
+  specified in the :setting:`CACHES` setting.
 
 1.6
 ---
diff --git a/docs/ref/settings.txt b/docs/ref/settings.txt
index 7b5c3633c6..ede2d3741b 100644
--- a/docs/ref/settings.txt
+++ b/docs/ref/settings.txt
@@ -2311,15 +2311,6 @@ ADMIN_MEDIA_PREFIX
    integration. See the :doc:`Django 1.4 release notes</releases/1.4>` for
    more information.
 
-.. setting:: CACHE_BACKEND
-
-CACHE_BACKEND
--------------
-
-.. deprecated:: 1.3
-   This setting has been replaced by :setting:`BACKEND <CACHES-BACKEND>` in
-   :setting:`CACHES`.
-
 .. setting:: IGNORABLE_404_ENDS
 
 IGNORABLE_404_ENDS