Spicy Beef Cornbread Cobbler

I did some more Google cooking the other day, after searching for "Beef, Cornbread." Epicurious.com describes the recipe thusly:

Think of this dish as a sloppy joe with a corn bread and Cheddar crust — a welcome twist to an American classic.

Indeed.

Spicy Beef Cornbread Cobbler

Filling Ingredients
Medium onion, chopped

4 tablespoons vegetable oil
(I used a splash of olive oil)

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
(I used 1 - 2 tsp garlic powder)

1 lb ground beef chuck

1 teaspoon sugar
(About 1/2 packet artificial sweetener)

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cayenne
(Didn't have any. Gave it a good shake of chili powder. What? It's hot. Same diff.)

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
(Didn't have any, just left it out.)

1 1/4 teaspoons salt
(That cannot possibly be right. I just shook some in there, then a bit more, to taste.)

1 (14- to 15-oz) can diced tomatoes in juice
(Used a 15-oz can tomato sauce.)

Topping Ingredients
(Or, 1 box cornbread muffin mix, prepared according to directions.)

2/3 cup yellow cornmeal

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/3 cup whole milk

1 large egg

2 oz coarsely grated sharp Cheddar (1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons)
(Or, a big ol' handful or two.)

1. Saute onions, then add garlic and beef. Cook until done.
2. Add sugar, spiced and 1 tsp some salt and stir it all up.
3. Add tomatoes (or sauce) and simmer about 10 minutes, reducing liquid.
4. While the beef is simmering, mix cornbread ingredients, including 1/2 cup cheese.
5. Spoon beef mixture into a pie plate (or casserole dish) and top with cornbread, then more cheese.
6. Bake at 400 F for 15 - 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into cornbread comes out clean.
7. Serve warm.