diff --git a/src/cache/core/__tests__/cache.ts b/src/cache/core/__tests__/cache.ts
index f1417add255..2c2100ed1ce 100644
--- a/src/cache/core/__tests__/cache.ts
+++ b/src/cache/core/__tests__/cache.ts
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ class TestCache extends ApolloCache<unknown> {
   }
 
   public performTransaction(transaction: <TSerialized>(c: ApolloCache<TSerialized>) => void): void {
+    transaction(this);
   }
 
   public read<T, TVariables = any>(query: Cache.ReadOptions<TVariables>): T | null {
diff --git a/src/cache/core/cache.ts b/src/cache/core/cache.ts
index db5c63879a8..6f3f2db248e 100644
--- a/src/cache/core/cache.ts
+++ b/src/cache/core/cache.ts
@@ -59,11 +59,16 @@ export abstract class ApolloCache<TSerialized> implements DataProxy {
   // provide a default batch implementation that's just another way of calling
   // performTransaction. Subclasses of ApolloCache (such as InMemoryCache) can
   // override the batch method to do more interesting things with its options.
-  public batch(options: Cache.BatchOptions<this>) {
+  public batch<U>(options: Cache.BatchOptions<this, U>): U {
     const optimisticId =
       typeof options.optimistic === "string" ? options.optimistic :
       options.optimistic === false ? null : void 0;
-    this.performTransaction(options.update, optimisticId);
+    let updateResult: U;
+    this.performTransaction(
+      () => updateResult = options.update(this),
+      optimisticId,
+    );
+    return updateResult!;
   }
 
   public abstract performTransaction(
diff --git a/src/cache/core/types/Cache.ts b/src/cache/core/types/Cache.ts
index 98a21afd4f5..43d854ed743 100644
--- a/src/cache/core/types/Cache.ts
+++ b/src/cache/core/types/Cache.ts
@@ -54,10 +54,10 @@ export namespace Cache {
     broadcast?: boolean;
   }
 
-  export interface BatchOptions<C extends ApolloCache<any>> {
+  export interface BatchOptions<C extends ApolloCache<any>, U = void> {
     // Same as the first parameter of performTransaction, except the cache
     // argument will have the subclass type rather than ApolloCache.
-    update(cache: C): void;
+    update(cache: C): U;
 
     // Passing a string for this option creates a new optimistic layer, with the
     // given string as its layer.id, just like passing a string for the
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ export namespace Cache {
     // against the current top layer of the cache), and passing false is the
     // same as passing null (running the operation against root/non-optimistic
     // cache data).
-    optimistic: string | boolean;
+    optimistic?: string | boolean;
 
     // If you specify the ID of an optimistic layer using this option, that
     // layer will be removed as part of the batch transaction, triggering at
diff --git a/src/cache/inmemory/__tests__/cache.ts b/src/cache/inmemory/__tests__/cache.ts
index 7794721ecae..cae97479d98 100644
--- a/src/cache/inmemory/__tests__/cache.ts
+++ b/src/cache/inmemory/__tests__/cache.ts
@@ -1377,7 +1377,7 @@ describe('Cache', () => {
 
       const dirtied = new Map<Cache.WatchOptions, Cache.DiffResult<any>>();
 
-      cache.batch({
+      const aUpdateResult = cache.batch({
         update(cache) {
           cache.writeQuery({
             query: aQuery,
@@ -1385,12 +1385,14 @@ describe('Cache', () => {
               a: "ay",
             },
           });
+          return "aQuery updated";
         },
         optimistic: true,
         onWatchUpdated(w, diff) {
           dirtied.set(w, diff);
         },
       });
+      expect(aUpdateResult).toBe("aQuery updated");
 
       expect(dirtied.size).toBe(2);
       expect(dirtied.has(aInfo.watch)).toBe(true);
@@ -1418,7 +1420,7 @@ describe('Cache', () => {
 
       dirtied.clear();
 
-      cache.batch({
+      const bUpdateResult = cache.batch({
         update(cache) {
           cache.writeQuery({
             query: bQuery,
@@ -1426,12 +1428,14 @@ describe('Cache', () => {
               b: "bee",
             },
           });
+          // Not returning anything, so beUpdateResult will be undefined.
         },
         optimistic: true,
         onWatchUpdated(w, diff) {
           dirtied.set(w, diff);
         },
       });
+      expect(bUpdateResult).toBeUndefined();
 
       expect(dirtied.size).toBe(2);
       expect(dirtied.has(aInfo.watch)).toBe(false);
@@ -1654,6 +1658,98 @@ describe('Cache', () => {
       abInfo.cancel();
       bInfo.cancel();
     });
+
+    it("returns options.update result for optimistic and non-optimistic batches", () => {
+      const cache = new InMemoryCache;
+      const expected = Symbol.for("expected");
+
+      expect(cache.batch({
+        optimistic: false,
+        update(c) {
+          c.writeQuery({
+            query: gql`query { value }`,
+            data: { value: 12345 },
+          });
+          return expected;
+        },
+      })).toBe(expected);
+
+      expect(cache.batch({
+        optimistic: false,
+        update(c) {
+          c.reset();
+          return expected;
+        },
+      })).toBe(expected);
+
+      expect(cache.batch({
+        optimistic: false,
+        update(c) {
+          c.writeQuery({
+            query: gql`query { optimistic }`,
+            data: { optimistic: false },
+          });
+          return expected;
+        },
+        onWatchUpdated() {
+          throw new Error("onWatchUpdated should not have been called");
+        },
+      })).toBe(expected);
+
+      expect(cache.batch({
+        optimistic: true,
+        update(c) {
+          return expected;
+        },
+      })).toBe(expected);
+
+      expect(cache.batch({
+        optimistic: true,
+        update(c) {
+          c.writeQuery({
+            query: gql`query { optimistic }`,
+            data: { optimistic: true },
+          });
+          return expected;
+        },
+        onWatchUpdated() {
+          throw new Error("onWatchUpdated should not have been called");
+        },
+      })).toBe(expected);
+
+      expect(cache.batch({
+        // The optimistic option defaults to true.
+        // optimistic: true,
+        update(c) {
+          return expected;
+        },
+      })).toBe(expected);
+
+      expect(cache.batch({
+        optimistic: "some optimistic ID",
+        update(c) {
+          expect(c.readQuery({
+            query: gql`query { __typename }`,
+          })).toEqual({ __typename: "Query" });
+          return expected;
+        },
+      })).toBe(expected);
+
+      const optimisticId = "some optimistic ID";
+      expect(cache.batch({
+        optimistic: optimisticId,
+        update(c) {
+          c.writeQuery({
+            query: gql`query { optimistic }`,
+            data: { optimistic: optimisticId },
+          });
+          return expected;
+        },
+        onWatchUpdated() {
+          throw new Error("onWatchUpdated should not have been called");
+        },
+      })).toBe(expected);
+    });
   });
 
   describe('performTransaction', () => {
diff --git a/src/cache/inmemory/inMemoryCache.ts b/src/cache/inmemory/inMemoryCache.ts
index f48a210f071..59c13267456 100644
--- a/src/cache/inmemory/inMemoryCache.ts
+++ b/src/cache/inmemory/inMemoryCache.ts
@@ -378,7 +378,7 @@ export class InMemoryCache extends ApolloCache<NormalizedCacheObject> {
 
   private txCount = 0;
 
-  public batch(options: Cache.BatchOptions<InMemoryCache>) {
+  public batch<U>(options: Cache.BatchOptions<InMemoryCache, U>): U {
     const {
       update,
       optimistic = true,
@@ -386,14 +386,15 @@ export class InMemoryCache extends ApolloCache<NormalizedCacheObject> {
       onWatchUpdated,
     } = options;
 
-    const perform = (layer?: EntityStore) => {
+    let updateResult: U;
+    const perform = (layer?: EntityStore): U => {
       const { data, optimisticData } = this;
       ++this.txCount;
       if (layer) {
         this.data = this.optimisticData = layer;
       }
       try {
-        update(this);
+        return updateResult = update(this);
       } finally {
         --this.txCount;
         this.data = data;
@@ -472,6 +473,8 @@ export class InMemoryCache extends ApolloCache<NormalizedCacheObject> {
       // options.onWatchUpdated.
       this.broadcastWatches(options);
     }
+
+    return updateResult!;
   }
 
   public performTransaction(