diff --git a/core/state/statedb.go b/core/state/statedb.go
index 8093472b59..22ffa36a06 100644
--- a/core/state/statedb.go
+++ b/core/state/statedb.go
@@ -206,9 +206,6 @@ func (self *StateDB) Delete(addr common.Address) bool {
 
 // Update the given state object and apply it to state trie
 func (self *StateDB) UpdateStateObject(stateObject *StateObject) {
-	if len(stateObject.code) > 0 {
-		self.db.Put(stateObject.codeHash, stateObject.code)
-	}
 	addr := stateObject.Address()
 	data, err := rlp.EncodeToBytes(stateObject)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -375,8 +372,15 @@ func (s *StateDB) commit(db trie.DatabaseWriter) (common.Hash, error) {
 			// and just mark it for deletion in the trie.
 			s.DeleteStateObject(stateObject)
 		} else {
+			// Write any contract code associated with the state object
+			if len(stateObject.code) > 0 {
+				if err := db.Put(stateObject.codeHash, stateObject.code); err != nil {
+					return common.Hash{}, err
+				}
+			}
 			// Write any storage changes in the state object to its trie.
 			stateObject.Update()
+
 			// Commit the trie of the object to the batch.
 			// This updates the trie root internally, so
 			// getting the root hash of the storage trie
diff --git a/core/state/statedb_test.go b/core/state/statedb_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..fd4d02fdd3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/state/statedb_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+// Copyright 2015 The go-ethereum Authors
+// This file is part of the go-ethereum library.
+//
+// The go-ethereum library is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
+// it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License as published by
+// the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
+// (at your option) any later version.
+//
+// The go-ethereum library is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+// but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+// MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the
+// GNU Lesser General Public License for more details.
+//
+// You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public License
+// along with the go-ethereum library. If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+
+package state
+
+import (
+	"math/big"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/common"
+	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/ethdb"
+)
+
+// Tests that updating a state trie does not leak any database writes prior to
+// actually committing the state.
+func TestUpdateLeaks(t *testing.T) {
+	// Create an empty state database
+	db, _ := ethdb.NewMemDatabase()
+	state, _ := New(common.Hash{}, db)
+
+	// Update it with some accounts
+	for i := byte(0); i < 255; i++ {
+		obj := state.GetOrNewStateObject(common.BytesToAddress([]byte{i}))
+		obj.AddBalance(big.NewInt(int64(11 * i)))
+		obj.SetNonce(uint64(42 * i))
+		if i%2 == 0 {
+			obj.SetState(common.BytesToHash([]byte{i, i, i}), common.BytesToHash([]byte{i, i, i, i}))
+		}
+		if i%3 == 0 {
+			obj.SetCode([]byte{i, i, i, i, i})
+		}
+		state.UpdateStateObject(obj)
+	}
+	// Ensure that no data was leaked into the database
+	for _, key := range db.Keys() {
+		value, _ := db.Get(key)
+		t.Errorf("State leaked into database: %x -> %x", key, value)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/trie/secure_trie.go b/trie/secure_trie.go
index caeef3c3a3..ca515aacbb 100644
--- a/trie/secure_trie.go
+++ b/trie/secure_trie.go
@@ -40,9 +40,10 @@ var secureKeyPrefix = []byte("secure-key-")
 type SecureTrie struct {
 	*Trie
 
-	hash       hash.Hash
-	secKeyBuf  []byte
-	hashKeyBuf []byte
+	hash        hash.Hash
+	hashKeyBuf  []byte
+	secKeyBuf   []byte
+	secKeyCache map[string][]byte
 }
 
 // NewSecure creates a trie with an existing root node from db.
@@ -59,7 +60,10 @@ func NewSecure(root common.Hash, db Database) (*SecureTrie, error) {
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
-	return &SecureTrie{Trie: trie}, nil
+	return &SecureTrie{
+		Trie:        trie,
+		secKeyCache: make(map[string][]byte),
+	}, nil
 }
 
 // Get returns the value for key stored in the trie.
@@ -105,7 +109,7 @@ func (t *SecureTrie) TryUpdate(key, value []byte) error {
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	t.Trie.db.Put(t.secKey(hk), key)
+	t.secKeyCache[string(hk)] = key
 	return nil
 }
 
@@ -125,10 +129,45 @@ func (t *SecureTrie) TryDelete(key []byte) error {
 // GetKey returns the sha3 preimage of a hashed key that was
 // previously used to store a value.
 func (t *SecureTrie) GetKey(shaKey []byte) []byte {
+	if key, ok := t.secKeyCache[string(shaKey)]; ok {
+		return key
+	}
 	key, _ := t.Trie.db.Get(t.secKey(shaKey))
 	return key
 }
 
+// Commit writes all nodes and the secure hash pre-images to the trie's database.
+// Nodes are stored with their sha3 hash as the key.
+//
+// Committing flushes nodes from memory. Subsequent Get calls will load nodes
+// from the database.
+func (t *SecureTrie) Commit() (root common.Hash, err error) {
+	return t.CommitTo(t.db)
+}
+
+// CommitTo writes all nodes and the secure hash pre-images to the given database.
+// Nodes are stored with their sha3 hash as the key.
+//
+// Committing flushes nodes from memory. Subsequent Get calls will load nodes from
+// the trie's database. Calling code must ensure that the changes made to db are
+// written back to the trie's attached database before using the trie.
+func (t *SecureTrie) CommitTo(db DatabaseWriter) (root common.Hash, err error) {
+	if len(t.secKeyCache) > 0 {
+		for hk, key := range t.secKeyCache {
+			if err := db.Put(t.secKey([]byte(hk)), key); err != nil {
+				return common.Hash{}, err
+			}
+		}
+		t.secKeyCache = make(map[string][]byte)
+	}
+	n, err := t.hashRoot(db)
+	if err != nil {
+		return (common.Hash{}), err
+	}
+	t.root = n
+	return common.BytesToHash(n.(hashNode)), nil
+}
+
 func (t *SecureTrie) secKey(key []byte) []byte {
 	t.secKeyBuf = append(t.secKeyBuf[:0], secureKeyPrefix...)
 	t.secKeyBuf = append(t.secKeyBuf, key...)