diff --git a/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/context/annotation/ConfigurationClassPostProcessor.java b/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/context/annotation/ConfigurationClassPostProcessor.java
index 06e2f9bf93..b54b562692 100644
--- a/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/context/annotation/ConfigurationClassPostProcessor.java
+++ b/org.springframework.context/src/main/java/org/springframework/context/annotation/ConfigurationClassPostProcessor.java
@@ -26,9 +26,11 @@ import org.springframework.beans.BeansException;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.config.BeanDefinition;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.config.BeanFactoryPostProcessor;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.config.ConfigurableListableBeanFactory;
+import org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractBeanDefinition;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.support.BeanDefinitionRegistry;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.support.DefaultListableBeanFactory;
 import org.springframework.core.Ordered;
+import org.springframework.core.annotation.AnnotationUtils;
 import org.springframework.core.type.AnnotationMetadata;
 import org.springframework.core.type.ClassMetadata;
 import org.springframework.core.type.classreading.MetadataReader;
@@ -122,7 +124,7 @@ public class ConfigurationClassPostProcessor extends AbstractConfigurationClassP
 			if (beanDef.isAbstract() && !includeAbstractBeanDefs)
 				continue;
 
-			if (isConfigurationClassBeanDefinition(beanDef))
+			if (isConfigurationClassBeanDefinition(beanDef, beanFactory.getBeanClassLoader()))
 				configBeanDefs.registerBeanDefinition(beanName, beanDef);
 		}
 
@@ -181,14 +183,20 @@ public class ConfigurationClassPostProcessor extends AbstractConfigurationClassP
 	 * @return whether the BeanDefinition's beanClass (or its ancestry) is
 	 * {@link Configuration}-annotated, false if no beanClass is specified.
 	 */
-	private static boolean isConfigurationClassBeanDefinition(BeanDefinition beanDef) {
+	private static boolean isConfigurationClassBeanDefinition(BeanDefinition beanDef, ClassLoader classLoader) {
+
+		// accommodating SPR-5655
+		Assert.isInstanceOf(AbstractBeanDefinition.class, beanDef);
+		if(((AbstractBeanDefinition) beanDef).hasBeanClass())
+			return AnnotationUtils.findAnnotation(
+					((AbstractBeanDefinition)beanDef).getBeanClass(), Configuration.class) != null;
 
 		String className = beanDef.getBeanClassName();
 
 		while (className != null && !(className.equals(Object.class.getName()))) {
 			try {
 				MetadataReader metadataReader =
-					new SimpleMetadataReaderFactory().getMetadataReader(className);
+					new SimpleMetadataReaderFactory(classLoader).getMetadataReader(className);
 				AnnotationMetadata annotationMetadata = metadataReader.getAnnotationMetadata();
 				ClassMetadata classMetadata = metadataReader.getClassMetadata();
 
diff --git a/org.springframework.context/src/test/java/org/springframework/context/annotation/ConfigurationPostProcessorTests.java b/org.springframework.context/src/test/java/org/springframework/context/annotation/ConfigurationPostProcessorTests.java
index 99d6086cca..35239cfb68 100644
--- a/org.springframework.context/src/test/java/org/springframework/context/annotation/ConfigurationPostProcessorTests.java
+++ b/org.springframework.context/src/test/java/org/springframework/context/annotation/ConfigurationPostProcessorTests.java
@@ -143,5 +143,34 @@ public class ConfigurationPostProcessorTests {
 		final Foo foo;
 		public Bar(Foo foo) { this.foo = foo; }
 	}
-	
+
+	/**
+	 * Tests the fix for SPR-5655, a special workaround that prefers reflection
+	 * over ASM if a bean class is already loaded.
+	 */
+	@Test
+	public void testAlreadyLoadedConfigurationClasses() {
+		DefaultListableBeanFactory beanFactory = new DefaultListableBeanFactory();
+		beanFactory.registerBeanDefinition("unloadedConfig",
+				rootBeanDefinition(UnloadedConfig.class.getName()).getBeanDefinition());
+		beanFactory.registerBeanDefinition("loadedConfig",
+				rootBeanDefinition(LoadedConfig.class).getBeanDefinition());
+		new ConfigurationClassPostProcessor() .postProcessBeanFactory(beanFactory);
+		beanFactory.getBean("foo");
+		beanFactory.getBean("bar");
+	}
+
+	@Configuration
+	static class UnloadedConfig {
+		public @Bean Foo foo() {
+			return new Foo();
+		}
+	}
+
+	@Configuration
+	static class LoadedConfig {
+		public @Bean Bar bar() {
+			return new Bar(new Foo());
+		}
+	}
 }